Naruto: Magik
by Thayerblue1
Summary: A crossover featuring Uzumaki Naruto and Illyana Rasputin. An AU starting at the beginning of Naruto Shippuden; details inside.
1. Chapter 1

_**Naruto: Magik**_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the X-Men

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: _

_This is an idea that hit me out of the blue and I decided to jot it down. It's a cross over between Naruto and X-men featuring the character Illyana Rasputin (Codename: Magik). She was one of the characters I liked back in the 90's when I collected comics and lost track after that (A word of warning: I really don't know modern X-Men lore). As a result it coincides with the old storyline __Inferno __in Marvel Comics. Apparently they've killed and resurrected her multiple times since. I'm tagging her as fourteen to fifteen years old at the time of this story which takes place towards the end of Naruto and Jiraiya's training trip so Naruto is also close to fifteen. For the sake of references I'm using Narutopedia and the X-Men Wiki. _

[ ] signifies a foreign language. In Illyana's case it would be Russian or English.

Chapter 1

**The realm of Limbo**

The invasion of Earth by the Demons from Limbo known as _Inferno_ was over and the New Mutants found the shell of the armor their dear friend and comrade Illyana wore. Somehow through the strange time magics of Limbo she'd been returned to her innocent seven year old self. Gone was the demonic Darkchilde she had become….The team returned to the X-mansion both sad and happy for their friend. She was free of the taint placed upon her but at the same time she didn't remember any of them. They knew she would remember her brother Piotr Rasputin (Otherwise known as Colossus) though and took her to see him straightaway. She had a new start….or did she?

Elsewhere….

The nearly demonic Darkchilde spun wildly through the space time vortex of Limbo and finally crashed to the ground hitting it hard. Her hatred for her seven year old self had abated because of her friend's actions and she felt her sanity returning. Part of her wanted to return to the Xavier Institute to be with her friends but she felt she was now well and truly a monster. She couldn't bring herself face them. Even when her form changed back into the beautiful, blonde haired, blue eyed girl everyone knew she shed tears of blood knowing they would remember the Darkchilde demon with horns, hooves and a tail she'd become. Her heart shattered; she opened a portal to nowhere to hide away and fell into a dreamless sleep….She didn't care where or when she went, Illyana Rasputin never intended to return….

**Fire Country near the Border of River Country**

Naruto Uzumaki was eager to get home. He missed Konoha and all his friends. Jiraiya dragged him out here to the Land of Rivers to investigate something to do with the Akatsuki and Naruto was sitting by himself at their camp while Jiraiya was off searching for clues.

_Flashback…._

"Why am I not coming with you Ero-sennin?! You told me I was plenty strong!" asked Naruto in an exasperated tone.

Jiraiya returned his apprentice's glare. "This isn't about strength Naruto; it's about subtlety which is something you just don't have! Just camp out here for a few days and wait for me to return. I trust you can stay out of trouble a few days?"

Seeing Jiraiya wasn't about to budge on this, Naruto sighed. "Alright, I'll camp out here while you go peek at bathhouses…."

_Flashback End…._

"Damn Ero-sennin and his perverse antics….God I'm bored!" ranted Naruto. It had been forty eight hours since Jiraiya took off and Naruto was already going stir crazy. Suddenly a thought occurred to him. "I know! I'll summon Gamakichi. I've got some food to share here. Maybe he and I can do something." Doing the proper hand signs Naruto said, "Summoning jutsu!" and his orange toad friend appeared in all his 'glory'.

"_Yo!_ Ahem! I mean, who dares summon the great Gamakichi of Mount Myōboku?" said Gamakichi who was large enough for Naruto to stand upon now.

Naruto sweat-dropped staring at his friend. "Ummm, 'Kichi, what was that all about?"

Gamakichi replied, "Hey Naruto! I'm taking a page from my old man's book. Did I strike awe and fear into you when I arrived?"

"No, I was kind of embarrassed for you 'Kichi." said Naruto as Gamakichi face-faulted.

Recovering what little pride he could salvage, Gamakichi asked, "So what's up? I don't see a fight or anything going on. Do you need me to deliver a message?"

"No, I was bored." answered Naruto flatly.

"You summoned me because you were bored…." said the toad in an equally flat tone.

"Pretty much. I've been stuck here all by myself for two days waiting for Ero-sennin to get back and I was hoping that we could figure out something to do together if you're not too busy…." Naruto said sheepishly.

The toad nodded, "Well, it has been a while since we just hung out." Suddenly the toad got a gleam in his eye. Actually, I know _exactly_ what we should do!"

The blonde raised an eyebrow at his friend's tone. It was mischievous and conspiratorial, like a prank….Naruto nodded and said, "Go on…."

Gamakichi looked around to make sure they weren't being listened to. Then he whispered, "There's something on Mount Myōboku that I've wanted to check out since I was little but Ma and Pa told me not to. But since you are a summoner and don't _know_ it's forbidden we could check it out even though I _tried_ to stop you….get the picture?"

"So why is it forbidden?" asked the blonde.

Gamakichi shrugged. "Hell if I know. I get a weird vibe from this cave up there but since you are training to be a sensor maybe we could figure it out together."

"Sounds reckless and possibly dangerous 'Kichi." mused Naruto aloud.

The orange toad's eyes narrowed. "So are you in?" he asked conspiratorially. "I can reverse summon us there in a jiffy."

"Damn straight I am. All this sitting around is driving me crazy!" answered the ninja. "I'll pack my stuff and leave a concealed message for Ero-sennin."

**Thirty minutes later at Mount Myōboku**

The two intrepid adventures/bored teenagers were travelling through a thick patch of forest like Naruto hadn't seen before. Naruto was wishing he had a machete to hack his way through all the plant life. Looking ahead he saw a cave opening. "Is that where we're headed 'Kichi? I don't sense much."

"Trust me; you will feel it when we get there." assured Gamakichi.

Sure enough, as they entered the cave entrance Naruto could feel it too. He sat down in a meditative position and said, "I'm still new at this but it's deeper inside the cave. It feels like a space/time ninjutsu; like a summoning. What's weird is it's at a low level and constant like it's in the process but not quite there yet."

"What do you mean?" asked the toad.

"All I can say is it feels like someone was summoned and cracked open the door but it hasn't opened all the way." said Naruto thoughtfully.

Gamakichi frowned, "Why weren't they just sent back to their point of origin then? I've never heard of anyone ever being stuck mid-summoning."

"Beats me, 'Kichi." said Naruto with a shrug. "Come on, let's go look. If it looks dangerous we'll split."

So, the two brave souls/reckless idiots travelled onwards until they reached a massive underground cave full of stalactites and stalagmites. "It's a good thing there are some holes in the roof of the cave to let some light in. This place is awesome!" remarked Naruto excitedly as he admired the scenery.

"No kidding Naruto, the water in here reflects the sunlight all over so it's pretty easy to see." agreed Gamakichi.

Naruto sat down again to focus on his senses. "It's straight that way Gamakichi." he said as he pointed towards a darkened area.

"It's conveniently located in the darkest corner of the cave where it's black as pitch Naruto." groaned the toad. "I can't see a goddamned thing over there."

"No worries." said the blonde. "I'll get us a light." Unsealing a lantern they went over towards the darker part of the cave. When they arrived they saw what looked like a statue embedded about four feet up in the stone cave wall. "It's a….girl?" questioned Naruto as he looked up.

"Last I checked human girls don't have horns, claws or tails Naruto." answered Gamakichi.

Naruto was more mesmerized by the incredible curves this statue had. He was amazed at how real the stone demon girl looked. Her hand was reaching out towards him. He wanted to reach out and touch her….Feeling the incredible tightness in his pants; Naruto went wide-eyed and regained control of himself. '_Good god, I'm acting like Ero-sennin! It's like she's some demon fantasy playmate in one of his damned books!_' Looking down at his painfully bulging crotch, he thought, '_Down, earthly desires!_'

"You okay there Naruto?" asked Gamakichi, totally oblivious to his friend's problems (he wasn't familiar with the way a mammal's wedding tackle worked after all).

"Yeah, I'm fine." answered Naruto, glad for the distraction. "I was just amazed at how realistic this statue looks. I mean, aside of the horns and all she would look like a beautiful girl. Why would anyone carve such a strange figure in the wall 'Kichi? I'm guessing it was made by a human but do humans even come up here? This is the home of the toads after all."

Gamakichi looked at the wall carving for a while. "You know, you're right. Even her strands of hair look real. Whoever carved this girl must have been an amazing artist. Is this where the energy is coming from?"

That snapped Naruto's brain back on track. "Let me check." he said as he sat down and concentrated. "It's the carving alright. It's specifically coming from the right hand that is reaching out towards us."

"Do you think it's a summoning gone bad?" asked Gamakichi in a worried tone. "I'd hate to leave some poor soul trapped in there. Of course, even if it is, I wouldn't know how to fix it."

Naruto stared at the beautiful demon girl for awhile. "We just add chakra to her outstretched hand. It should jump start the jutsu."

"What if she's some kind of monster?" said the toad in a frightened tone.

Naruto made up his mind. "Then we destroy her before she breaks loose. Stand back and get ready. I'll infuse some chakra into her hand."

Focusing, the young ninja stood on his tiptoes so he could press his palm against the outstretched hand and then pushed chakra into it. The wall carving started to glow suddenly and the surface heated up rapidly. Naruto had to let go to keep from getting his hand burned. He stared as the claws seemed to melt off of the hand revealing pale flesh below. As the features melted he saw the horns and other demonic traits melt away as well revealing a beautiful blonde girl in a strange torn up black and yellow uniform that fit her like as second skin.

Naruto quickly realized she was going to fall out of her perch in wall and rushed forward and caught her limp form before she could hit the floor. He noticed she was wet and clammy and wondered if she was even alive. Bringing her out into the light where he could actually see her he blushed as he took in her features. This girl was radiant! Naruto checked for a pulse and to see if she was breathing. When he found nothing her gently pumped her chest once to see if there was a reaction. Jiraiya taught him the basics of CPR in case he had to revive someone the nearly drowned or something.

He blushed as he placed his lips on her ice cold ones and tried to breathe air into her lungs. Naruto vaguely heard Gamakichi asking him what the hell he was doing but he tuned his friend out and repeated the process a few more times. He was about to breathe more air into her lungs when suddenly she started coughing and inhaled deeply as if she hadn't breathed in ages. Her eyes sprang open and seemed sightless. She started babbling and panicking in a language he didn't understand and finally Naruto grasped her hands in his in an attempt to comfort her….

Illyana was blind and felt cold stone beneath her. She heard muffled noises around her but couldn't make anything out. She was terror struck and tried to thrash about and scream for help but her own voice sounded weak and quiet. The girl barely had the energy to move. She felt herself freezing up in fear as she cried out and then suddenly she felt warm hands encircling her own. Someone was with her! She tried to talk to them but her own voice was muffled to her ears. Whoever was with her sounded male and was using soothing tones even though she couldn't make out a word.

Illyana tried to pull herself up and realized how incredibly weak and cold she was. She felt strong arms pull her up in an embrace and start to massage her arms to warm her up. Her panicked breathing and her racing heartbeat finally started to slow down. Whoever was helping her was still saying soothing things and she felt the warmth gradually return to her body. She thanked the person for helping her in her weak voice and felt the tingling numbness leaving her body as she was warming up. She was so incredibly tired….Illyana gradually lulled off to sleep in the person's arms….

"Naruto, _what_ were you doing to her?" asked a certain frustrated toad.

"I'm really sorry for ignoring you 'Kichi but she wasn't breathing as if she'd drowned or something." explained Naruto. "I had to push air into her lungs by using my own air."

"Really? I thought it was some sort of mating thing from Jiraiya's descriptions." Gamakichi continued.

"I was trying to save her life; not make out with her!" said Naruto as he blushed crimson. "She's still ice cold and she fell back asleep. I need to warm her up. Should I make a fire?"

"There's nothing down here to make a fire with, bro. Let's just carry her out into the sunlight. That should warm her up fine." suggested Gamakichi.

Naruto face palmed at his own stupidity. "Let's get her out of here 'Kichi."

"Right." said the toad. "Do you know what she was saying? I didn't get a word of it."

"I think it was another language. We'll worry about that later." answered Naruto.

They quickly got out of the cave with Gamakichi leading the way. Then they found someone was waiting for them at the entrance….Ma and Pa.

_"Gamakichi!_ We told you that place was forbidden! What have you done?!" asked Ma angrily.

Gamakichi shivered. "It was Naruto's idea! I _tried_ to stop him but-"

Ma narrowed her eyes. "And just how did this _Naruto_ know about this place to begin with? You boys are both in big trouble."

Naruto blurted out, "Ma'am, please punish us later! I have an injured girl here that's half froze to death! Please help her."

Pa looked at the girl carefully. "Lay her down gently. Ma and I will reverse summon ourselves back home with the girl. You two can walk there and report to us for your punishment then."

"Thank you both very much." said Naruto bowing gratefully. Both sages nodded and they disappeared in a puff of smoke. "I guess we'd better go there for our punishment." said Naruto as he began the trek back.

"We could always hide you know." said Gamakichi hopefully.

Naruto shook his head. "I want to be there when the girl wakes up. I need to be there to make sure she's alright."

"Okay, bro. I'm with you…." The two set off to catch up with Ma and Pa.

**Later at Fukasaku and Shima's home**

"So that's Jiraiya-chan's apprentice he brags about." said Shima as she gently adjusted Illyana on the bed and applied sage chakra to gently warm and heal the girl slowly so her body wouldn't go into shock. "It seems Gamakichi-chan got him into mischief."

Fukasaku nodded gently as he helped Shima with Illyana. "He's Minato-chan's tadpole; looks just like him." He let out a sigh. "Is this _really_ the demon in the cave wall Shima? She seems like a normal human child without horns or claws or a tail. This seems very strange to me."

"It is Pa. I can sense the taint in her but that doesn't mean she's inherently evil." replied Shima. "Those containing tailed beasts are often treated as demons themselves you know. Maybe she has something sealed in her. It wouldn't be right to destroy her without knowing the truth. Her true nature will become evident soon enough."

"Her body is up to a normal temperature I see. She seems to be resting peacefully now." said Pa. "When we discovered her in the cave wall and banned the area all those centuries ago we should have foreseen some foolish young toad would go in anyway."

_Two hours later_….

Naruto and Gamakichi came up to Fukasaku and Shima's home and the young toad had informed Naruto about who Ma and Pa were and how they were great and respected sages. Naruto was less than thrilled that he may have incurred the wrath of two great sages but figured he had saved a pretty girl so it was probably worth it.

"Ma, Pa, we're here!" yelled Gamakichi.

Shima came to the door and said quietly, "Be quiet child! That girl you brought out of the cave is sleeping and we want her to rest peacefully."

"Sorry!" whispered the two boys.

"Is the girl alright?" asked Naruto.

"Considering she's been sealed up in a cave wall for centuries she seems to be doing quite well." answered Fukasaku as he entered the threshold. "I'm sure she's going to wake up hungry and thirsty. Why don't you two boys come in and tell us exactly what happened?"

_Later_….

Shima shook her head at the boy's story. "So this all started because Naruto-chan was bored and Gamakichi-chan was too curious for his own good. In the end you freed the girl from her imprisonment and saved her life because she wasn't breathing."

"Yes Ma." said both of the boys.

Ma sighed. "Gamakichi, we'll figure out your punishment later. The rules you broke were in place for a very important reason. Fortunately nothing bad has happened as yet. As for you Naruto-chan; you'll be staying here with us to help with that girl. Since we have no idea if she's ever spoken to toads before she might react negatively. Having a fellow human around will be for the best. Besides, it's obvious you are very concerned about her."

"Ero-sennin is really going to be angry I ditched him." lamented Naruto.

"Ero-sennin?" asked Pa.

Naruto explained, "That's what I call Jiraiya-sensei since he's a total pervert." Pa promptly exploded into laughter….

Illyana awoke hearing Pa's hysterical laughter. She opened her eyes and found her vision was returning but right now everything was a total blur. She really wasn't sure what had happened. She noticed she was in a warm, comfortable bed and that she had her uniform removed and some kind of robe around her. Hearing the laughter dying down she called out. ["Is anyone there?"] in English. She then repeated the same thing in Russian.

Naruto and the others heard her and Ma said, "Here Naruto-chan. Take her some water and try to talk to her. I have a feeling she doesn't know our language at all."

The young ninja nodded and entered the room with the blond girl in it. "Hello. Can you understand me?"

Illyana turned her head to face the doorway. She saw the blurry outline of a man. ["Hello? Do you speak English or Russian?"] she said in a raspy voice. '_God my throat is dry_.'

The man came over and said something to her she didn't understand. What she _did_ understand was when he put a glass in her hand. She tasted it and found it was water. Illyana greedily drank it down. Three cups later her throat felt much better. She smiled weakly at the man and said ["Thank you."]

Naruto saw her smile at him and blushed slightly. He patted her hand in a reassuring way. He wasn't sure what to do since they couldn't understand a word of each other's languages. It was also clear to him she couldn't see well because her eyes were dilated and didn't seem to focus on him exactly. Finally, he gently put her hand on him and said "Naruto." then he moved her hand back to herself.

Illyana felt like she was in a movie. He just told her his name was Naruto. She giggled a bit and pointed to herself "Illyana." Then she pointed back to him. "Naruto."

He then rolled her name off his tongue. "Illyana." They both chuckled a little bit and suddenly her stomach growled. She blushed a bit. He patted her hand telling her he'd get her some food. Going into the front room again, he saw Pa sitting with some tea. "Her name is Illyana and she doesn't speak our language at all. She seems really hungry. Is there something to eat I can give her?"

Pa nodded. "Well, Ma is whipping up a feast for us but we've got apples and crickets to snack on. I have a preference for those big, juicy crickets but for some odd reason Jiraiya-chan always preferred the apples."

Naruto grimaced at the idea of eating crickets. "I'll get her an apple or two. Thanks Pa." Returning to Illyana's bedside he helped her sit up in her sleeping yukata and handed her an apple to eat. From the sounds of what she was saying in her own language the apples must have been really good. He refilled her glass with water to wash it down. "I really wish we could understand each other, Illyana. I'd like to get to know you."

Illyana got a thoughtful look on her face. ["Once I get my strength back, maybe I can cast a spell so we can talk properly. Right now I'm still too weak. Thank you for taking care of me Naruto."] She yawned. ["I'm still exhausted, I'm going to get some more sleep."] She snuggled down into bed and closed her eyes. Illyana smiled as he adjusted the covers for her. She hoped her vision would get back to normal soon. Illyana knew Naruto had blondish hair but that was all she could really see and that was a blur. '_I hope he's handsome._' she thought with a smile before she dozed off.

With Illyana taken care of for the night, Naruto went out to have dinner with Ma and Pa. Naruto managed to choke down Ma's cooking. He did his absolute best to eat everything that Ma fixed for him so nicely. He was also thinking about **_anything_** to block out the fact that Ma's fine cuisine was called 'Cockroach Surprise.'

_Two weeks later_….

It had been a real shock to Illyana to find out she was in a land full of talking toads. She had her full mobility back and her eyesight had fully recovered. Ma was very friendly and was working on teaching Japanese to her. She knew basic things like hello and goodbye but it was going too slow as far as Illyana was concerned. She devised a white magic spell that would transfer information between her and Naruto (she had no idea if it would work with toads so she didn't want to risk it).

Illyana also found herself _very_ attracted to Naruto. Sometimes her Darkchilde persona in the back of her mind whispered that he had a demonic side too and would accept her. The idea thrilled her but without them being able to communicate properly it would be hard to explain. She found a secluded clearing in the forest and set up a magic circle to perform the ritual that would allow her and Naruto to communicate and decided to take him there the next day.

Naruto in the meantime had accepted Fukasaku's invitation to learn senjutsu. He was having a difficult time with it but Pa praised him for advancing so quickly (when he wasn't beating Naruto with his staff to keep him from turning into a toad statue).

The next morning after breakfast (Somehow Illyana and Naruto kept wolfing down Ma's cooking despite the ingredients) Illyana took Naruto by the hand and led him to the magic circle in the forest. She figured the easiest way was to activate the circle and exchange a small portion of blood to use as a medium for the language transfer. Naruto had a skeptical look when she activated the pentagonal circle of silver flame. She held her hand in the flames and showed that the silver flames would not hurt them. Illyana motioned Naruto to do the same and he smiled now assured that it was safe.

Taking Naruto by his hands she led him into the center of the circle and sat down across from him Indian style. He joined her and watched as she nicked her finger drawing a little blood. Naruto was puzzled and wondered just what the hell she was doing when she handed him the small knife she used to do the same. He wasn't going to do it but finally caved in at the pleading look she had on her face. He nicked his finger as she had and a drop of his blood dripped down into the circle.

Suddenly the Nine-tails chakra interacted with the circle and Illyana lost control of the spell. The circle oozed with red chakra and she felt her own powers skyrocket. She watched as Naruto's eyes changed from their normal azure and turned red and slitted. At first she was terrified as her own eyes bled yellow. She felt her Darkchilde urges overwhelm her and heard the voice say '_He is the same as us. He is the one. Take him now!_'

Naruto saw her eyes turn yellow and suddenly his mind turned to thoughts of lust for divine creature in front of him. He grasped her and pulled her into a soul searing kiss which she eagerly returned. The hunger he felt was so bad it was burning him. He felt her hands running through his spiky hair as he pulled her completely into his lap and started exploring every inch of her body. She moaned his name as he kissed her neck in the heat. ["Naruto, I want you!"]

Illyana never felt so much desire in her life and quickly unzipped his jacket showing the form fitting mesh armor beneath. As she ran her hands all over his mesh covered torso she grew frustrated and growled that she couldn't get to his skin. ["Take off your shirt Naruto!"] He didn't have a clue what she was saying so she pulled her yellow and black shirt off as an example. He lustfully started suckling on her left breast through the fabric of her black sports bra. She pushed him back and started roughly pulling at the base of his shirt feeling desperate now.

"Let me do it Illyana-chan." hissed Naruto as he shrugged of his jacket and shirt. He saw her eyes widen before she smiled ferally and started placing love bites on his neck and chest. He fumbled with the clip on her bra before she undid it herself and freed her breasts from their restraints. She saw the look of excitement and lust in Naruto's slit eyes as he stared at her breasts. It gave her feeling of power knowing he wanted her that much but that feeling was soon quashed by overwhelming desire as he kneaded her left breast with his hand while assaulting her right with his mouth.

Naruto pinned Illyana to the ground in one swift move as he started grinding his crotch relentlessly against hers. They were both too far gone to stop now as they started tearing roughly at each other's pants. He pulled her pants and panties off and buried his face in her womanhood. Within minutes she screamed wide eyed as she felt her first climax and roughly pulled his hair. The magic circle they were in was pulsing with power as she panted like an animal in heat. She violently rolled over on top of him and helped him remove his boxers to admire her prize. Smiling hungrily she gripped his manhood and stroked him making his erection even harder.

"God I need you Illyana!" howled Naruto in lust and gripped her hips roughly with his hands. .

Illyana hissed in pain and pleasure. ["I want you inside me now!"] she said and positioned herself over him. She screamed as she slammed her body down and lost her hymen in one swift stroke. The two teens were in a total frenzy. As she rode him she cried out, ["Harder Naruto!"].

He rolled back on top as he thrust into her relentlessly. "You're so hot and tight Illyana-!" He felt her clamp down on him as she let out a groan of ecstasy with her second orgasm. Naruto was painfully hard and released inside of her releasing his own noise. The sound they made together echoed throughout the clearing. It was a music only they could understand….It continued forever….

Hours later Illyana woke up. She was lying in the clearing on her right side. Right behind her was Naruto spooning her body with his own. The magic circle was burnt out. She had a peaceful smile on her face as she felt his arms holding her close. She grabbed his hand and brought it to her mouth before placing kisses on the back of it. They had rutted like a pair of wild animals for hours. She felt him stir and turned to face him. They shared a long, sweet kiss of contentment. "You are so amazing Illyana-chan." said Naruto happily as he kissed her forehead and smiled.

She smiled back at him. Somehow she looked incredibly sexy to him lying there with her long, straight blonde hair completely disheveled. "You are amazing too Naruto. I've never felt anything so good in my life."

Naruto's eyebrows shot up. "I can understand you Illyana! You're speaking my language. How?!"

Illyana looked a little shock herself. "The spell….it still worked?"

"What spell Illyana?" asked Naruto.

She sat up giving him a wonderful view of her body as she thought aloud. "Well, we were supposed to nick our fingers and touch hands so the blood would be a medium to transfer the knowledge of each other's languages."

"I think our bleeding fingertips were the only part that _wasn't_ touching." said Naruto as he also sat up.

She suddenly blushed. "I suppose that any….bodily fluids exchanged would work now that I think about it…."

Naruto blushed as well. "You mean to say we learned each other's languages by making love to each other?"

She nodded in embarrassment. "I guess that sums it up…." They both suddenly heard girlish giggling and Naruto's eyes got big as saucers.

Naruto yelled, "_Ero-sennin!_ If you were watching us I'll-"

Jiraiya's voice echoed out of the bushes near the clearing as he stood up. "Oh, _believe me_ gaki; I was taking notes at that masterful display _the whole time_ for my next book! Bwahahaha! –At first I was really pissed that you ran off here to Mount Myōboku without my permission but I can see you had this lovely maiden to please so all is forgiven." The pervert wiped a tear from his eye. "I'm so _proud_ of you my boy. To have scored with such a hottie at such a young age. My next book, _Icha Icha: The Soldier and the Sorceress_ is going to be absolute gold! Teaching languages through magical sexual intercourse; it's brilliant!" He ran away laughing hysterically at the two shocked teens.

"Is he a…._friend_ of yours Naruto?" Illyana said with cold flames burning in her eyes.

Naruto replied. "No. No, he is a walking corpse. I'm going to kill him slowly and painfully…."

Illyana smiled evilly. "Then we are in complete agreement. Let's….get cleaned up and get dressed. Then we'll go hunt him to the ends of the earth if need be."

**Later at Fukasaku and Shima's home**

"Jiraiya-chan said you should stay here and complete your sage training." said Pa. "He told me to tell you how proud he is and how much you inspired him with your achievements you've made since coming here."

Naruto cringed at the innuendo. Illyana asked "And where might he be now?"

Ma poked her head out of the kitchen. "He said he had to go see his publisher in Fire Country. No doubt he's writing another one of his naughty books." she said as she shook her head ruefully. "It's so nice that we can speak to each other now Illyana-chan. I had no idea you could actually learn a language through magic." Ma smiled as she noticed to two teens had their hands intertwined. "You two seem to have grown closer too. It must have been a bonding experience."

Both of them blushed slightly but kept holding hands. They were both glad that Ma and Pa didn't know the explicit details of their _bonding experience_. "I guess we'll have to train hard so we can _impress_ Ero-sennin when we finally catch up to him.' said Naruto darkly.

"That's the spirit!" said Pa. "We'll get you both stronger in no time. Illyana-chan, I'm sure we toads can help you in your physical and mental disciplines even though we don't use magic like you do."

"I'm a teleporter as well as a sorceress. I'd be very thankful if you would help me get stronger." answered Illyana.

The two teenagers were going to train until the two of them together could take on the world; but actually they were just planning to kill one dirty old man….

POSTSCRIPT:

I don't know if this is a one shot or I'll continue it as I have my hands full with my other two stories. For some reason, the inspiration to write this was is the song _Hey You_ by the band Scorpions. Blue out. 11/26/14


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the X-Men

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: _

Okay, I've decided to continue this as a backup story in case I am suffering from writer's block on my other two stories. As a result updates will be sporadic at best and there is no time table set up for them. Here's chapter 2:

Last Time:

_….Ma smiled as she noticed to two teens had their hands intertwined. "You two seem to have grown closer too. It must have been a bonding experience."_

_Both of them blushed slightly but kept holding hands. They were both glad that Ma and Pa didn't know the explicit details of their bonding experience. "I guess we'll have to train hard so we can impress Ero-sennin when we finally catch up to him.' said Naruto darkly._

_"That's the spirit!" said Pa. "We'll get you both stronger in no time. Illyana-chan, I'm sure we toads can help you in your physical and mental disciplines even though we don't use magic like you do."_

_"I'm a teleporter as well as a sorceress. I'd be very thankful if you would help me get stronger." answered Illyana._

_The two teenagers were going to train until the two of them together could take on the world; but actually they were just planning to kill one dirty old man…. _

**Mount Myōboku**

Naruto and Fukasaku were taking a break from Naruto's sage training and his wind manipulation training that they'd started today. Naruto was taking to wind manipulation like a fish to water in Fukasaku's opinion. They watched as several battle toads were running from Illyana who was brandishing her war axe in this so-called spar. It turned out her expertise with axes and swords were rather unbelievable given her small size. Naruto was laughing hysterically as he watched his girlfriend terrorize the poor toads. It had been six weeks since he and Illyana began their brutal training on Mount Myōboku and Fukasaku and Shima wanted them to train two more weeks before they departed for Fire Country.

Naruto reflected on how hard it had been but at the same time he had never felt stronger or been happier in his entire life. He and Illyana trained together, slept together, ate together and of course there was the incredible sex….

_Flashback two weeks ago…._

Naruto and Illyana were in the hot springs near Ma and Pa's house. They'd both been absolutely filthy and had to help each other scrub clean. Inevitably the two got carried away and Illyana was soon in his lap slowly riding him for all she was worth. The two soon shared the utter bliss of climaxing at the same time and Illyana moaned, "I love you Naruto-kun." as she held onto him in the afterglow.

Naruto gasped and seemed to freeze up. Illyana wondered what was wrong. When she pulled back slightly to look in his eyes she saw they were full of tears. She suddenly felt very afraid. Did he not want her to love him? "Naruto-kun…?"

Naruto gave her a passionate kiss and held her tight with their bodies still connected. "I'm sorry Illyana-chan; no one has ever told me they loved me before. Thank you so much! I….I love you too."

Illyana had been shocked that he'd never been told he was loved. She promised herself to say those three little words to him every day since and the lovemaking that carried on well into the night was the best they'd shared yet….

_Flashback end…._

It was one of Naruto's most cherished memories. He asked her to be his girlfriend the next morning and she laughed telling him that _of course_ she was his girlfriend. Naruto couldn't believe his good fortune. He not only was training hard to get stronger but could spend his time with his beautiful girlfriend who _loved_ him! Naruto had been spacing off but he came back to reality when Illyana finished her spar and waved up at him on the hill. He waved back and quickly went down to see her with Fukasaku and the old toad sage said, "Well, since you've chased all of your sparring partners into the hills why don't you two sit down and have some lunch Illyana-chan?"

The two sweaty and dirty teens agreed and plopped down in the shade of a tree to eat some food they'd picked out themselves. Fukasaku had a warm smile on his face as he saw the two interact. They made a great team. Between Illyana's teleporting abilities (Fukasaku figured it was a new bloodline) and Naruto's endless clones they seemed to be able to overwhelm and disorient just about anybody. When you added in Naruto's growing jutsu arsenal and her amazing sorcery it became even more apparent that their synergy was near perfect….and much to Shima's delight the two were obviously very much in love….Ma thought it was adorable.

"You're so awesome with that axe! It still amazes me you can use all those big weapons you have stored back in Limbo Illyana-chan." said Naruto as he munched on an apple.

She laughed. "I just seem to have a knack for them Naruto-kun." she said between bites of a banana. "They are the preferred weapons in Limbo. I had to learn _or else_."

The young couple had bonded over their rough childhoods. Illyana's upbringing under Belasco had literally been hell and Naruto's isolation and mistreatment because of his jinchūriki status made them both very empathetic to one another. It had been hard for both of them to open up about it emotionally but once they had their connection had grown much deeper and stronger than before. The pair had agreed it was a wonder they both turned out as well as they did with what they'd been through. Now that Illyana and Naruto were together they had the emotional support they both longed for so much in their lives.

"I can't wait to show you Konoha." said Naruto with enthusiasm. "I hope you will like it there."

"They should feel very lucky you're so loyal to your home." said Illyana darkly. "I had to _conquer_ Limbo before I could set things right. Of course you're planning to be Hokage someday so I guess it's kind of the same."

Naruto placed a hand on her cheek and kissed Illyana sweetly. "There are people that are very precious to me there that I want to protect but you are the most precious to me of all. I can forgive them for the way they treated me but if they ever even _try_ to lay a _finger_ on you I'll end them come hell or high water."

Illyana sighed and held his hand against her cheek. "I'm sorry Naruto. I'm sure there are good people there. I shouldn't make you feel anger towards them because of me. Sometimes I can't tell if the good or the evil in me is my true nature. I never want to hurt you."

"It's alright Illyana-chan." said Naruto. "I just want you to know I'll always keep you safe." The two basked in each other's company quietly for the rest of their meal.

_Two weeks later…._

"Well Naruto-chan, I have to say you've even exceeded Jiraiya-chan in the sage arts. I'm truly proud of you. Your wind manipulation training has progressed well too so keep practicing on it." said Fukasaku. "Illyana-chan, I know we weren't able to help you as much as Naruto-chan these last couple of months but even I can see you've improved by leaps and bounds. Ma and I will always be happy to have the both of you come here and visit us."

Shima smiled and said, "I want you two to be good to each other and take special care of each other. I'm counting on your future tadpoles to be toad summoners as well." The two teens blushed at the thought and Shima chuckled.

"Now don't tease them too much, Ma although I look forward to meeting their tadpoles as well." said Fukasaku smiling. "Are you two ready to go?" Naruto and Illyana nodded and held hands. "Alright, summon us if you need us!" said Fukasaku as he reverse summoned them away. The two teens vanished in a puff of smoke leaving the two toad sages alone.

Shima turned to Fukasaku. "They really are good for each other, Pa. With all the darkness they've had in their lives they have become each other's beacon of light. I think they are destined to do great things."

**Fire Country near the Border of River Country**

"….And here we are by River Country!" said Naruto. "If someone told me two months ago when I was bored camping by myself that I'd return here with my beautiful girlfriend; I would have told them they were absolutely insane."

Illyana smiled at the _beautiful_ comment. It still made her blush prettily. "Where do we go from here Naruto-kun?"

"Well, if we head northeast we'll be at Tanzaku Gai and then we can head straight on to Konoha from there." said Naruto. "We can probably stay at an inn there."

"Isn't that the gambling town you told me you found Lady Tsunade at?" asked Illyana.

Naruto nodded. "That's the one. It's hard to believe it's been two and a half years since then. There's a lot more there than Casinos there though. It's kind of a tourist spot. We should probably resupply there."

"Well, I'm all for it." said Illyana. "As much as I love Ma; I've eaten enough of her cooking to last me the rest of my life. Humans should eat _human_ food." They both laughed. "Any idea how we can hunt down a certain old pervert?" she asked with a vicious grin.

Naruto matched her grin with a rather feral smile of his own. "Patience, Illyana-chan. When we find him we'll make him beg for mercy. Baa-chan will have a way to recall him to Konoha. We'll ambush him then."

"I love when you plot evilly Naruto."

"And I love when you plot evilly with me Illyana-chan."

**Near Tanzaku Gai, three days later….**

Naruto pointed at a large circular city with a partially demolished castle that was in the process of being rebuilt. "There's Tanzaku Gai. You can see the castle still isn't fully repaired from Orochimaru's attack back then. Let's rest for a day before we head on to Konoha." The pair soon arrived at the busy city gates and his bright orange and black uniform and her yellow and black one stood out a bit.

"Maybe we should tone down our colors a bit Naruto." said Illyana feeling a little self conscious that her form fitting attire was drawing a _lot_ of attention of the male persuasion. She also noticed several women were eyeing _her _Naruto-kun as well and she was starting to get steamed. "Let's go look for some Kimonos or something." she said curtly.

"Okay Illyana-chan but I think you look great." complimented Naruto.

Illyana whispered, "So do all the _other_ guys." she said as she looked around.

Naruto quickly looked around and saw the men staring at her with lust in their eyes and he started leaking out killing intent that made most of them scamper away. "Maybe we _should_ get kimonos Illyana-chan. It looks like they are gearing up for some kind of festival so there should be some for sale." Illyana nodded and smiled.

The pair were soon window shopping and found a blue kimono with white crane patterns on it for Illyana and a black one with green leaf patterns for Naruto. They were able to get a room at one of local inns for an inflated price (due to a festival being held soon) and settled in. They were both tired from the road and had to bathe separately since mixed bathing was only allowed at certain times of day and they wouldn't have had any privacy _alone_ anyway. After cleaning up and having a quick dinner at one of the food stalls they called it a day and curled up in their futon for the night.

Illyana woke up early in the morning snuggled in Naruto's arms but was irritated by the sounds of the city filtering into their room. She wanted to bury her head back in the crook of his neck and doze some more but the city noises just wouldn't go away. After about fifteen minutes of wriggling about Naruto hugged her gently and asked, "Can't sleep?"

"No, I'm sorry I woke you up Naruto." she answered. The two shared a good morning kiss and laid there looking into each other's blue eyes.

Naruto brushed a couple of her golden bangs out of her face. "We got pretty spoiled to the peaceful sounds of nature on Mount Myōboku Illyana-chan. Between the thin walls here and all the city noises I couldn't sleep in either. Let's get up and have some breakfast before we decide what to do. I don't know if we should stay here another day or just head straight on to Konoha. I really thought it would be more peaceful here."

Once they were up and dressed in their new kimonos the pair went to a café and were eating a traditional breakfast of steamed rice and miso soup. It was quiet and all in all it was very pleasant until they started overhearing things from some of the other patrons….

"….Not only is _Icha Icha: Tactics _a masterpiece but Jiraiya-sama's new _Icha Icha: The Soldier and the Sorceress_ is the beginning of a brand new trilogy!" announced one patron.

"….I can't wait until the second and third parts of the trilogy come out!" said another giggling like a school girl. "Maybe they'll make a movie!"

"….In the author's preface Jiraiya-sama states he was divinely inspired by real life events to start _The Soldier and the Sorceress_. He claimed he wrote it in only a few weeks. What do you suppose he saw? This book tops everything he's written to date!" said another excitedly.

"….I know what you mean, the romance, the steamy sex scenes, the action, the engrossing storyline; it has it all." said another with a blush.

"….I couldn't put it down. The beautiful sorceress Yana and the lonely soldier Ruto falling in love even though they couldn't speak the same language….I'm rereading it for a third time now. We are so blessed. This is truly a great time for the literary arts." another added in reverence.

'**_Yana and Ruto?!_'** thought the two teens in horror and shock. They both wanted to faint.

Illyana looked so red in the face that she might explode whether it was from anger or embarrassment. She was trying to think of a curse to put on all these perverts so they'd be impotent the rest of their lives.

Naruto was blushing and grinding his teeth to the degree sparks were flying. He was mentally going through the 99 ways he intended to kill Ero-sennin for this.

"Will there be anything else today?" asked the waitress jarring the young couple out of their catatonic states.

"W-we're good t-thanks." stuttered Naruto as he handed over the money for their breakfast and a tip for the waitress. The waitress thanked them and excused herself.

_Later back at the inn_….

Naruto concluded, "So it's decided. You portal him to Limbo and the pair of us feed Ero-sennin to a pack of hungry demons; feet first. Then we really get nasty!"

"I don't know Naruto-kun. That might be too quick and not painful enough." Illyana sighed as she hugged Naruto. "I thought I was going to die of embarrassment back at that café. What if somebody recognizes us from the books?"

"We don't know the descriptions out of the books Illyana." said Naruto warily. "They may not look anything like us."

Illyana's eyes narrowed. "How can we be sure? He basically used our names; how do we find out about the descriptions without _buying_ a copy to make sure?" The two sat in thought for a long time. "Could we put on disguises and _steal_ a copy?" she asked.

Naruto pondered, "If Ero-sennin ever found out we had a copy of one of his books whether we bought it or not we'd never hear the end of it."

"I guess we could burn it ceremonially after we checked out the character descriptions." offered Illyana.

"My god I never saw this coming…." said Naruto. "We're actually considering _reading_ one of that old pervert's books!" Naruto could only lament at the injustice of it all.

_Two hours later…._

It had been simple enough for Naruto to use the henge and turn into an Ebisu (the closet pervert) lookalike so he could purchase the book. Now the two teens were sitting on the futon in their room at the inn. Illyana was reading and resting her back against Naruto's chest. Naruto was sitting behind with his chin resting on her shoulder and his arms around her waist reading as well.

"_He gently pushed his holy love rod into her most sacred place_….What the hell is with Ero-sennin and all these crazy euphemisms? Why didn't he just write that Ruto stuffed Yana like a turkey?" asked Illyana incredulously. "He was obviously watching us in the hot springs as well. Grrrr….There's even a section about when I gave you a blowjob in the forest against that tree. Ero-sennin must have been there the whole damned time." she hissed.

Naruto shook his head slightly, "At least he changed our hair color."

"Yes, he gave perfect descriptions of me with black hair and green eyes. –And you have brown hair and no whisker marks." Illyana growled. She felt Naruto growing erect behind her and start grinding her rear against him. She quickly closed the book and tossed it away. "You know, it seems silly to be getting all hot and bothered reading about us having sex when we could be enjoying the real thing together. Ilyana turned around and started kissing Naruto hotly. She said huskily, "Come to Mamma…."

Hours later the two were holding each other in the afterglow. "I love you Naruto-kun" she said as she kissed him gently.

"I love you too Illyana-chan. You are so incredible." He snickered a bit. "Do you feel like your magic is recharged?"

Illyana smiled and then gave him a mock glare. "I couldn't believe that Yana had to have her magic recharged through sexual intercourse. What a ridiculous concept."

Naruto grinned "Yes; and only Ruto could give her the full power she needed after scraping by on poor lovers for years."

"Were really do need to kill Ero-sennin." said Illyana. "If I wasn't so damned comfortable here with you holding me I'd say we should start our pervert hunting immediately. Right now I want just cuddle."

"That's fine by me." said Naruto happily. "We'll get up later before dinnertime. We should probably set out tomorrow though."

"Let's stay and see the festival tomorrow. We'll leave the next day." she replied.

"Anything you want my hime." said Naruto as he pulled her a little closer and kissed her forehead. "Let's doze a little longer."

The eventually just ordered room service and went on to bed. All the embarrassment over the scenes about them from _Icha Icha: The Soldier and the Sorceress_ was enough to have them worn out for the day.

_The day of the festival…. _

The young couple got up late and waited around to go to the festival. Illyana hadn't ever been to this kind of festival before and was very excited. Naruto hadn't been to many festivals himself and was very happy to show Illyana all the different games and food. Generally Naruto was pretty good at most of the skilled throwing games because he was a ninja. Eventually he won Illyana some prizes but the one she treasured the most was a fox plushy that reminded her of Naruto that she named 'Naru-chan.' They stayed out rather late and agreed they should make for Konoha after breakfast in the morning….

**Mount Myōboku**

Jiraiya arrived at Ma and Pa's house hoping for some further _inspiration_ from his apprentice. That kid and his girlfriend were a goldmine! Much to his dismay he couldn't find Naruto anywhere so he decided to ask Fukasaku for the boy's whereabouts. Knocking on the door he poked his head in and saw Fukasaku reading a scroll in his chair. "Hey, Pa…."

Fukasaku looked up. "Well, well; if it isn't _Ero-sennin_."

Jiraiya did a face plant of epic proportions as Fukasaku laughed and Shima came out of the back wondering what the commotion was. Jiraiya pleaded, "Come on Pa, not you too! It's bad enough that my apprentice calls me that."

Fukasaku smiled. "You have to admit that _Ero-sennin_ is quite fitting given your hobbies."

"Pa is right Jiraiya-chan, the name does suit you well." interjected Shima as Jiraiya shed anime tears. "So what brings you out here Jiraiya-chan? Are you looking for Naruto-chan and Illyana-chan? They went back to Fire Country almost a week ago."

"Dammit! That disrespectful gaki took off without telling me again." grumped Jiraiya.

Shima patted Jiraiya's side. "Don't worry Jiraiya-chan, they said they were planning to seek you out and head for Konoha."

"Well, I guess I'd better get after them then." said Jiraiya.

"Why don't you stay for lunch?" asked Shima. "I'm making your favorite, _Cockroach Surprise!_"

Jiraiya suddenly turned green but knew refusing Shima's cooking would incur her wrath later. He cringed and said, "Sure thing Ma….lunch sounds great."

**Tanzaku Gai, the following morning….**_._

"Ready to go?" asked Naruto with bags under his eyes. The two teens got frisky again late last night and were paying for it with exhaustion now. Naruto wondered if they'd _ever _be able to keep their hands off each other….'_Probably not_.' he figured.

Illyana nodded and yawned as she stretched. "If we don't leave now we'll sleep in till noon at the inn and have to pay for an extra day. Let's head out."

Gathering their things Naruto was back in his full ninja gear and Illyana was now sporting an all black top over her Yellow and black uniform shirt. She pondered why the X-men chose the bright yellow and black colors to begin with. It really wasn't stealthy at all….She decided that she and Naruto of them were going to get some darker gear when they made it to Konoha. She'd convinced Naruto to go with a burnt orange instead of the neon one. Actually Illyana thought Naruto might look really cool in a black tiger stripe pattern. Decisions, decisions. Maybe they could….

"Illyana-chan?" asked Naruto.

"I'm sorry Naruto-kun, I was in deep thought. What did you say?" she asked.

Naruto smiled softly. "I was thinking we should further your training with kunai and shuriken just in case. They are easy to conceal and there are a lot of places that you can't enter with a war axe or a broadsword on your back. Anyway, you're already pretty handy with a kunai because of your abilities with swords and daggers."

Illyana looked at the handle of her war axe sticking up above her right shoulder. "I suppose you're right but a massive piece of quality steel like this really does make a statement don't you think? It just _screams_ feminine charm to me." She laughed. Their cheerful banter carried them well into the midday when they stumbled on something unexpected….A group of bandits were tearing up the road and headed straight towards them. It was obvious that they were running from something.

_The bandit group…._

The leader of the group Kosuke was urging his men on. "There are eleven of us and three of them! We can take them."

"But they are ninjas boss." whimpered one of his men.

"They already took out eight of us! We need to get away." whined another.

"They can still bleed, let's…." Kosuke saw Naruto and Illyana ahead on the road. "Let's take those two hostage!" he said desperate and wild eyed. "Those Leaf ninjas are supposed to protect civilians. We're not dead yet!" His men cheered as they poured on the speed towards the young couple….The young _armed_ couple….The young armed couple who were _already_ on battle alert.

Illyana had a vicious look in her eyes after hearing the words '_take those two hostage_.' "So they want to play with us huh? Let's take them out Naruto-kun."

Naruto nodded and took a low stance. "The one leading them is further out in front." he said. "Take him out with your axe and I'll hit the main group with a wind enhanced shuriken barrage when you teleport clear." Illyana nodded and tensed her muscles as she reached up placing her right hand on the handle of her war axe. Naruto created a shadow clone of himself that started rapidly going through hand signs.

_With the ninjas pursuing Kosuke's group…._

The ninjas pursuing the bandits were none other than Lee, Tenten and Neji –otherwise known as Team Gai. They'd been sent on a simple mission to destroy a bandit camp and after completing their mission were promptly jumped on the way home by Kosuke's merry little band of miscreants that they were now pursuing angrily after wiping out half of them. "There are two people ahead of them." said Lee. "We must use the power of our flames of youth to protect those innocent bystanders!"

Neji's eyes widened as he activated his byakugan. "That's-"

_With Illyana and Naruto…._

When Kosuke got within ten feet, Illyana exploded into action. Her axe shot out in a blur and connected with Kosuke whose guard was wide open. He never saw it coming and was cut down in a rather spectacular spray of gore. Illyana had already teleported clear before his bisected body hit the ground. The bandits tried to stop themselves seeing their leader explode into a fountain of blood. As they came to a stunned halt they heard Naruto yell, "Shuriken shadow clone no justu!" as he launched a shuriken that rapidly multiplied into a hail of metal towards the hapless bandits. At the same time his clone unleashed the Wind style: Gale palm jutsu that increased the speed of lethal steel stars to an incredible velocity. By the time Illyana reappeared behind Naruto through her stepping discs she teleported through the one sided massacre was already over.

_With Team Gai…._

Team Gai slowed to a halt seeing the sea of blood that was once their quarry. "….It's Uzumaki Naruto and another person." finished Neji in shock. "Only his chakra looks like that. I don't know what else to say." Neji slowly led his teammates down to where Illyana and Naruto were standing. "Uzumaki Naruto? Is that really you?" called out Neji.

Naruto came over to the others and quickly recognized them. "Neji; Tenten, Bushy Brows! Were you hunting those guys? Sorry if we stole your thunder. Illyana-chan, these are good friends of mine! Come and meet them." Placing her (now cleaned) axe back in its holster; Illyana came up and interlaced her fingers with Naruto's. "Everybody, this is my beautiful girlfriend Illyana." She smiled softly and waved before she was introduced to them one by one.

The members of Team Gai were all stunned for different reasons. Tenten was shocked at how efficiently they took out the bandits but also at the sheer brutality of it all. She also wanted to get a good look at that war axe Illyana was carrying. Tenten _was_ a weapons mistress after all. For his part, Neji was amazed that Naruto had grown so strong. His chakra levels were staggering! He also wondered about the exotic beauty Illyana he had at his side. Where was she from? For all that matter, how did _Naruto_ of all people get such a hot a girlfriend?

Lee's brain was in a totally different gear. "Naruto-kun, while I am thrilled to see you after all this time I have to ask; what of your youthful love for Sakura-chan?"

The first thing that Naruto thought was '_Sakura who?_' but then his brain kicked back in. "Oh! Eh, Sakura loves Sasuke. I've moved on. Illyana-chan is the only one for me." he said as he gently hugged Illyana who returned the gesture.

Illyana cocked an eyebrow. "Who is this Sakura person you're talking about Naruto-kun?"

"She's one of my old teammates. I used to have a huge crush on her but I've outgrown it I guess." answered Naruto.

"Is this the girl with pink hair you mentioned that pummeled you regularly for asking her out on dates at the Academy?" asked Illyana.

Naruto nodded. "Yep, that's the one." Then he added thoughtfully. "Looking back I wonder what it was I saw in her."

"I didn't realize she was the same Sakura that was on your team. I guess I just never made the connection." commented the young sorceress.

Naruto shrugged. "It's okay. I guess I never really thought to bring it up. Most of what we talked about was during my training trip with Ero-sennin. I'm sure we'll run in to her when we get back to Konoha at some point or other."

Lee's eyes were even wider than normal. '_Is this the real Naruto-kun? I thought he'd love Sakura-chan forever! But then again it's obvious that he and this beautiful spring flower are overflowing with passionate flames of love and youthfulness for one another. Perhaps I should congratulate them_.'

"….Are you in there Lee?" asked Tenten with annoyance in her tone. She was clearly _not_ happy about being ignored.

"I'm sorry Tenten, I was just trying to figure out how to congratulate Naruto-kun and Illyana-san about the springtime of their youthful relationship." explained Lee.

Illyana's first thought was '_What a weirdo_.' Regardless, Naruto thanked Lee anyway and said how happy he was with Illyana now that she was in his life and that brought the smile back to her face.

Naruto asked, "Are you guys headed out for a patrol or are you headed to Konoha like we are?"

"We _were_ headed back to Konoha when that group of bandits attacked us." explained Tenten. "I guess we owe you our thanks for, um…._liquidating_ them for us."

"No problem! We were just acting in self defense." laughed Naruto uncomfortably. '_Was it really that bad?_' he thought looking back at the bandit's remains. '_I guess it was_.' "Well, anyway…."

"We'll get a forensics crew from Konoha to take care of the mess." said Neji. "Though I doubt they'll be able to identify any of them."

"Since you are already headed the same way we are; why don't you and your youthful companion join us Naruto-kun?" asked Lee.

Naruto looked at Illyana. Her lips said "Yes, let's join them." but her eyes said '_What the hell is up with this guy and all his youth?!_' Naruto just smiled and gave her a peck on the lips.

The group was travelling at a moderate pace because the members of Team Gai were worn out from fighting and chasing two groups of bandits all day long. They stopped to refill their canteens and take a short break. Tenten asked, "So Illyana-san, how did you and Naruto meet?"

Illyana looked a bit embarrassed. "I was trapped behind some rocks in a cave. Naruto-kun rescued me and saved my life even though I'd stopped breathing. He was able to resuscitate me and nursed me back to health."

Neji looked surprised, "How did you end up in a cave in, if I may ask?"

"I was experimenting with my bloodline that allows me to teleport through my stepping disks and ended up in the wrong place." Naruto and Illyana had carefully gone over her background story to be as close to what really happened without giving away too much.

"Stepping disks?" asked Tenten.

Illyana nodded and said "Watch." As she created a disk of light and travelled through it to the opposite side of the camp they were on.

"Your bloodline is teleportation? How youthful!" said Lee amazed. "A new bloodline such as yours would surely be welcomed in Konoha."

"I can teleport myself and others over long distances but the further away it is, the harder it is to be accurate." explained Illyana. "That's how I ended up in that cave."

"What did Master Jiraiya think about all this?" asked Neji.

"I was training solo at the time so Ero-sennin didn't show up until I'd nursed Illyana-chan back to health." said Naruto. "The two of us were already involved by the time he came back on the scene." They could all hear the bitterness in Naruto's voice.

"Sounds like you two had a rough go of things." said Tenten.

Illyana sat back down with Naruto and hugged him. "We had a rough time but it was worth it since we have each other now." she said. The two shared a short kiss.

"Well the important thing is you've grown stronger together." said Neji as he deftly deflected Lee giving a long speech about the power of youth. "Where is Master Jiraiya now?"

"Hell if we know." snorted Illyana. "The last time Naruto-kun had regular contact with him was two months ago near River Country. We decided that since I'm back up to fighting strength that we should head for Konoha."

"So you're moving to Konoha Illyana-san?" asked Tenten.

Illyana nodded. "Yes, I don't know the way to teleport back to where I come from without risking my life so I'm moving to Konoha with Naruto-kun. It's _way_ outside the Elemental Countries."

"Interesting." said Neji. "I'm sure Lady Tsunade will be interested about land beyond the Elemental Countries. You should probably keep your bloodline and your origins quiet until you've talked to the Hokage though. We'll keep it a secret of course."

Tenten added, "Anyway, I'm sure Lady Tsunade could help you find an apartment or something until you get settled."

"Why would I need to do that?" asked Illyana. "I'm moving in with Naruto. That reminds me; Naruto-kun said that Lady Tsunade is an amazing medic."

"That's right!" exclaimed Tenten with stars in her eyes. "Not only is she one of the greatest Kunoichis ever but she is the greatest medic in the elemental countries. Are you injured or ill Illyana-san?"

"Injured? No. I just figure she can get me on some proper birth control so Naruto-kun and I won't have to be so concerned about my monthly cycle." answered Illyana truthfully.

Tenten blushed at the exotic blonde girl's frankness about the subject. "Then you two are…?" Illyana nodded. "….Well, I'm sure Lady Tsunade could help you with that." said Tenten a bit embarrassed.

Lee and Neji were both stunned into silence and were staring at Naruto who was snacking on some jerky he'd packed for himself and Illyana. '_They're already….intimate?_' wondered the two male members of Team Gai.

Wanting to break the awkward silence and stop the open gawking at him and his girlfriend, Naruto stood up and said. "Well, are we all ready to go?" Konoha awaits!"

The group soon was on the road again and the members of Team Gai couldn't help but notice the easy familiarity that Naruto and Illyana had as they talked happily and held hands as they walked. It was as if the pair had always been together. Tenten felt like she was looking at a happily married couple instead of girlfriend and boyfriend. For his part, Neji found the exotic Illyana to be _extremely_ attractive but it was painfully obvious she _only_ had eyes for Naruto. Lee was wondering about the possible repercussions this situation could cause with Sakura-chan. He'd spoken to her on occasions about Naruto and she'd talked about how much she missed the knucklehead. In Lee's youthful opinion Sakura almost seemed _possessive_ of her teammate. Lee wasn't looking forward to _that_ fallout….or maybe he was concerned for nothing….

POSTSCRIPT:

Next chapter we'll be headed to Konoha and we'll see some chaos and politics involved because of Illyana's arrival and new bloodline. Blue out. 12/4/14


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the X-Men

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: _

This story has drawn a lot more attention than I expected. I'm actually very surprised. Here's chapter 3:

Last Time:

_"….Are you injured or ill Illyana-san?"_

_"Injured? No. I just figure she can get me on some proper birth control so Naruto-kun and I won't have to be so concerned about my monthly cycle." answered Illyana truthfully._

_Tenten blushed at the exotic blonde girl's frankness about the subject. "Then you two are…?" Illyana nodded. "….Well, I'm sure Lady Tsunade could help you with that." said Tenten a bit embarrassed._

_Lee and Neji were both stunned into silence and were staring at Naruto who was snacking on some jerky he'd packed for himself and Illyana. 'They're already….intimate?' wondered the two male members of Team Gai._

_Wanting to break the awkward silence and stop the open gawking at him and his girlfriend, Naruto stood up and said. "Well, are we all ready to go?" Konoha awaits!"_

_The group soon was on the road again and the members of Team Gai couldn't help but notice the easy familiarity that Naruto and Illyana had as they talked happily and held hands as they walked. It was as if the pair had always been together. Tenten felt like she was looking at a happily married couple instead of girlfriend and boyfriend. For his part, Neji found the exotic Illyana to be extremely attractive but it was painfully obvious she only had eyes for Naruto. Lee was wondering about the possible repercussions this situation could cause with Sakura-chan. He'd spoken to her on occasions about Naruto and she'd talked about how much she missed the knucklehead. In Lee's youthful opinion Sakura almost seemed possessive of her teammate. Lee wasn't looking forward to that fallout….or maybe he was concerned for nothing…. _

**The Village of Konoha**

The group made it to Konoha by late afternoon. As they came up to the village gates Naruto turned and looked into Illyana's eyes as he held her hands and said, "This is my home village Illyana-chan. I hope you will like it here with me."

She smiled and the two lovers shared a deep kiss. "I'll always be happy living with you Naruto-kun." They were engaged in another lip-lock when they heard some coughing from the chunin gate guards, Izumo and Kotetsu.

"Is that Uzumaki Naruto? More importantly, who's the hot babe with him?" asked Kotetsu as his eyes took an appreciative walk all over Illyana.

Izumo spoke up. "Present your papers please. Naruto, welcome back to the village. Who's your friend?"

Team Gai signed in and headed in to report to the missions office after saying they'd see them later and Naruto introduced Illyana to Konoha's eternal gate guards. The two men were a bit taken aback that this hottie was Naruto's girlfriend as they always thought he had a thing for Haruno Sakura. After they signed in Illyana and Naruto bid the gate guards farewell and headed into town to report to the Hokage Tower. Naruto noticed that Tsunade's face was added to the Hokage Monument and pointed out the five Hokages to Illyana who thought of Mount Rushmore in the United States.

"This is quite a place Naruto-kun." said Illyana. "I can't wait to meet Lady Tsunade. I hope she lets me become a ninja like you."

Naruto nodded. "I don't know the process involved but if anyone can help us out its Tsunade baa-chan."

_The Hokage Tower…._

Naruto marched up to the front door of the Hokage Tower to report in to Lady Tsunade but found two ANBU there at the doors. One was ANBU Cat (otherwise known as Uzuki Yūgao) that Naruto was familiar with. "Cat-san, why are you blocking the entrance? I need to report in to the Hokage." he said.

Cat looked over Naruto for a moment. "Is that really you Uzumaki? You've really grown."

Illyana had a puzzled look on her face and Naruto explained. "ANBU Cat-san used to help keep an eye on me when I was younger." He turned back to Cat. "Cat, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend Illyana. She wants to join our village. Is the Hokage even in?"

Cat shook her head. "The Hokage is meeting with the Village Council. If I were you I'd come back to see her tomorrow. It could be hours and those Council Meetings tend to leave her in a sour mood anyway."

Naruto looked a bit reluctant but Illyana said, "Well it can't be helped. Let's get something to eat and then you can show me your apartment."

"Alright Illyana-chan. I'll see you tomorrow if you're stationed here Cat-san." Naruto led Illyana off towards Ichiraku Ramen. He'd often extolled about the virtues of the place so Illyana wanted to see it anyway.

**Naruto's apartment**

After dinner the young couple were both full and came back to Naruto's apartment. He'd sent a virtual army of shadow clones over to clean the place so Illyana would be comfortable there. When they got inside the sun was already setting. "Well, this is the place." said Naruto as he unlocked the door and let Illyana in. "It's kind of a hovel but it's home." Naruto closed the door and locked it behind them.

He went to turn on the lights but Illyana said, "Leave them off." before she pushed him up against the door and started kissing him hotly. She reached down and grabbed his crotch and started rubbing his shaft through the fabric of his pants. Feeling him go totally erect she smiled sexily and said, "You're such a mouthful Naruto-kun…." She worked her way down and unwrapped her prize before she started using her tongue and lips to tease him into a frenzy. He gasped as she gave it a long, slow lick before she engulfed him in her mouth and hummed sending electric feelings through his body. Naruto was standing with his back against the door sweating as he panted out her name repeatedly. It was way too much for him to handle and after ten minutes of delicious torture his legs nearly buckled as he finally exploded with a long moan he couldn't keep in. "So tasty…." she said as she licked her lips in the low light.

Naruto pushed her to the floor as her started kissing her neck and massaging her breasts. He finally was on all fours above her kissing her like mad when the two fell into a hormone driven frenzy and started tearing at each other's clothes and kissing every square inch of each other's bodies. They rolled around in the entryway floor until she was on her stomach and Naruto was on all fours again behind her. He slid into her from behind and buried himself to the hilt in her doggy style. She let out a moan of pleasure as he gripped her breasts and started stroking them in time with his thrusts. "That's it! Right there Naruto!" she yelled.

By the time the pair made it into the living room proper they had lost the last articles of their clothing and were only driven on by their hunger to please one another and their mutual desire for the next go round. Illyana was on top straddling him as she cried out in ecstasy and the heat rushed through her body once again making even her toes curl. She squeaked in surprise as Naruto pulled her down in a lip-lock for more….they'd long since lost count of how many times they'd climaxed by then….

Naruto and Illyana had no idea the other residents thought two people were in screaming pain and had called for ANBU. The ANBU who checked in on them had to stop his nosebleed when he saw them going up and down in an erotic vertical position before they switched to the horizontal in the floor….although he did think her eyes glowing yellow and his glowing red were kind of creepy in a hot and sexy way….The two blondes were totally oblivious to his presence. The ANBU didn't know how long he stood there staring dumbly before he had the decency to tear his eyes away. He wondered if he and his wife could try that (or if they'd even survive it). Once he'd staunched his bleeding nose he told all the neighbors to go back inside and that a young couple were just _busy_ with each other….

_The next morning…._

Illyana finished her shower and Naruto took his turn. Illyana was wrapped in a black sleeping yukata that Naruto had when he was younger so it was small enough to fit her well. She thought it was nice since it had Naruto's scent on it. She was _very_ pleased with life in general. Her hair was still a little damp and she was about to see if there was anything to be found in the kitchen for breakfast when she heard a loud rapping on the door and a raspy voice yelling to open the door. Illyana sighed at this annoyance and picked up one of Naruto's kunai. Concealing it in her sleeve she went to answer the door. When she opened it, she saw….a little old person standing with their cane ready to beat on the door again.

"It's about time you answered girl! Do you know how long I've been out here?!" asked the person angrily.

"….And you are?" asked Illyana in an irritated tone.

"Who am I? _I _am the owner of this fine apartment building!" said the apparent owner.

Illyana raised a delicate eyebrow. "You own this dump? So are you here for the rent or something?"

"No! I'm here because of all the damn _noise_ you two were making last night!" growled the elderly person. "I have other people in this building you kept up _all night long!_ Even the prostitutes that rent here are quieter than you two were!"

The blonde girl had the decency to blush. '_I guess we should put up some of those silencing seals that Fukasaku showed Naruto how to make_.' The thought really hadn't occurred to her at the time. "Well, I-"

"How can you let yourself be _defiled_ that way girl?!" said the person grouchily. "How can you associate with _him?!"_

Now Illyana was angry. "What you talking about?! Naruto-kun is my loving boyfriend."

The person chuckled nastily. "Don't you know anything girl? Why in the name of all that's holy would you spend the night with the _demon_ brat?"

Illyana got a vicious smile on her face. "The only way Naruto-kun is a _demon_ is in the sack! He's just as human as you or I." '_Okay, maybe I'm a bad example_.' she thought to herself.

The person's face stretched into an inhuman grin. "I guess he didn't tell you girl. He's a monster! He had a demon sealed in him at birth!" the person chuckled waiting for the look of horror to appear on Illyana's face.

Illyana put her weight on one foot and crossed her arms under her breasts. Then she said conversationally, "You mean the nine-tails? So what? It's no big deal."

"You know about the Kyūbi and you _still_ associate with him?!" the ancient person said in shock.

Nodding, Illyana said, "Yes, I'm well aware of what my boyfriend contains. I also know you broke the Hokage's law by telling me. Isn't it punishable by _death?_"

The person's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "You wouldn't!"

"Oh yes I would!" said Illyana angrily. "You leave Naruto-kun and I alone old man or I'll have your head on a silver platter!"

The person stood silent for a moment. "….What do you mean _old man?!_ I'm a _woman!_" screeched the now revealed land_lady_.

"Really?" asked the young sorceress. "It _all_ must have fallen into the basement _eons_ ago. You might want to shave the goatee off too."

The landlady let out an inhuman noise and spat out "_Damn you!_" before she stormed off in a rage.

Illyana glared after the old woman before she saw Naruto come around the corner in his boxers laughing hysterically. "That was priceless Illyana-chan! I've never seen that old hag so pissed off in my life!" He finally got himself under control and asked, "Can I have my kunai back now?"

Illyana smiled sheepishly and pulled the kunai out of her sleeve. She said, "Here you go Naruto-kun."

Naruto wiped a tear from his eye and smiled as he took back the kunai. "Thanks Illyana-chan." Then his eyes turned ice cold and he darted the kunai out into the hall hitting the opposite wall. Illyana looked shocked but then saw a person appear in ANBU gear with a horse mask. The kunai was pinning him to the wall by the fabric of his shirt. Naruto already had another kunai ready and said in a cold tone, "Explain why you and your friend are spying on us, Horse."

Horse was frozen to the spot. "W-well I-"

Another ANBU in a wolf mask appeared and pulled the kunai out of his frozen comrade's clothes. "Get it together rookie!" he said irritated. "Did you have to do that Uzumaki? He's new!"

Naruto nodded, "Yes Wolf; I _did_ have to do that. He was making enough noise to wake the dead. He needs to lose the cologne too. Better me than an enemy."

Wolf sighed and turned to his subordinate. "This is why it's bad to sneak up on ninjas unnecessarily! Go wait outside." Horse vanished in a body flicker. "I'm here to deliver a message Naruto. Lady Hokage wishes to see you and your girlfriend as soon as possible. I see your senses are as sharp as ever." Wolf shook his head thinking about Horse and handed Naruto's kunai back to him. "Anyway, welcome back. It's good to see you."

"Thanks Wolf." said Naruto accepting his kunai. "Tell Tsunade baa-chan we'll be there after we get dressed. It's nice to see you too." Wolf nodded and vanished in a body flicker.

"Illyana had an amused look on her face. "Friends of yours?"

Naruto nodded. "Wolf and I go way back. He was one of my most relentless pursuers when I played pranks as a kid. I painted him pink once." Illyana giggled. "As for Horse I've never seen him but he's got a lot to learn. Let's go get dressed." Putting his arm around her he closed the door behind them as they went back in.

**The Hokage's Office**

Tsunade was sitting there doing loads of paperwork between sips of sake when she heard Naruto's voice in the hall. "It's great to see you Shizune nee-chan! We'll just show ourselves in."

"Wait a minute Naruto!" called Shizune. That gave Tsunade the precious time to stash her equally precious booze. Naruto barged in without knocking as usual with a beautiful blonde girl holding his hand. Tsunade knew that this must be his girlfriend and decided that just this once she wouldn't lob her paperweight at him for forgetting to knock.

Naruto's eyes were filled with happiness. "Tsunade baa-chan, I'm so happy to see you! Illyana-chan, this is Lady Senju Tsunade. Baa-chan, this is my lovely girlfriend, Illyana Rasputin. They put their given name first where she's from so her family name is Rasputin."

Illyana bowed. "It's an honor to meet you Tsunade-sama. Naruto has told me many wonderful things about you and about your abilities as a healer."

Tsunade looked impressed. '_This girl actually has manners. Have my prayers to make Naruto behave finally been answered?_' She smiled and asked, "Has he now?"

Naruto chuckled. "Nah, I just told Illyana-chan you were a gambling addicted old lush who's really good with band-aids." Tsunade promptly decked Naruto with her paperweight. Illyana shook her head as she helped Naruto off the floor knowing he'd be healed in an instant.

_Two hours later…._

Tsunade was sitting and contemplating the story that Illyana and Naruto shared with her. "….So you come from a different time and space and were sealed up in rock in a cave on Mount Myōboku for hundreds of years, Illyana-san?"

"I know it's hard to believe Hokage-sama but I'd still be there if Naruto-kun hadn't broken me out." said Illyana.

Tsunade held up her hand to quiet Illyana. "Actually, given Naruto is involved I'm not as surprised as you might think. You and Naruto are lovers now and you want to live together. Even though you're young for that sort of thing it's perfectly legal here in Konoha and I can tell you genuinely care for each other. I have my reservations about it of course but with your mutual backgrounds I can see how the two of you would be good for each other. We need to get the two of you a nicer place instead of that dump over in the red-light district. Naruto, I'm going to have Shizune figure out a budget for you two and we're going to find a decent apartment _with silencing seals_."

The two teens blushed. '_How did she know about that?!_'

As if reading their minds Tsunade said. "ANBU was called in by your neighbors because someone thought there was some sort of ritual murder or human sacrifice going on from all the noise in your apartment." Now Illyana and Naruto were _really_ blushing. "Anyway, the two of you are going to get complete physicals over at the hospital tomorrow and we'll get you on proper birth control. Illyana, though you aren't trained as a kunoichi I will consider having you join our forces after the appropriate evaluations. You becoming a citizen of Konoha is a non-issue. Naruto, you're going to be tested too once Kakashi gets back from his mission. Both of you report to me at the hospital at 09:00 tomorrow Naruto –and for god's sake, don't get her pregnant. I'm not ready to be a baa-chan for real."

Shizune interjected, "Since you're going to be taking higher paying missions we'll work out something budget wise for you. We'll look into it tomorrow after you both get checked up."

Everyone stood up. Tsunade came around her desk and hugged Naruto. "Welcome home Naruto. You two are dismissed. Try to stay out of trouble okay?"

The young couple left hand in hand as Tsunade watched over them from her window. "Children sure grow up fast these days…." she pondered aloud.

**Training ground 9**

Later, Illyana and Naruto were doing some training at the invitation of Team Gai. Tenten was overjoyed to have Illyana there because she rarely was able to challenge someone with melee weapons. Tenten was armed with a nodachi and Illyana had her broadsword. Sparks were flying as the two young women went at it. While Tenten had an advantage in finesse and speed, Illyana made up for it with strength and ferocity.

At one end of the field Naruto was sitting Indian style as he and Lee looked on. Lee was surprised that Illyana was able to keep up with Tenten and was cheering wildly for both girls to stoke their flames of youth. Naruto was more interested in watching to see how Illyana held up in combat against a kunoichi of Tenten's caliber. He knew Tenten was a solid chunin. Naruto also was using his sensor abilities to monitor the ebb and flow of battle. He noted Tenten was maintaining a steady pace to stretch the battle out but Illyana fought more like a berserker trying to crush her opponent quickly and mercilessly. Both girls were really sweating.

Neji was observing from the other end of the field with his byakugan. He was supposed to be watching the fight but his vision was focused solely on Illyana's lithe form. It wasn't the Tenten wasn't physically attractive; she was. But something about Illyana was fascinating to Neji. Her shapely body, her grace, her long golden hair that flowed like the wind, her slender muscles that showed she trained hard and took things seriously. As Illyana spun out of the way of a strike effortlessly; Neji was at a loss to pick out a particular feature about her that interested him most. She had an exotic, foreign look about her face and her confident way she carried herself….her luscious breasts and shapely rear….The tight uniform was nice too….Neji was utterly captivated.

Tenten jumped back and threw a handful of kunai that Illyana had to block with her broadsword. Taking it that Tenten wanted to step it up a notch, Illyana started teleporting rapidly around and soon had Tenten on the defensive. Tenten lost her nodachi and quickly leapt back and unsealed a mace. Illyana figured her sword wouldn't hold up against the massive mace Tenten had and summoned her war axe to her hand. The impact of the two heavier weapons against each other was staggering. As Illyana started teleporting again she appeared behind Tenten with her axe in an overhead position that Tenten couldn't possibly block. Illyana's eyes were starting to bleed yellow as she readied herself for a finishing strike.

"**_STOP!_**" yelled Naruto. The two girls froze and Naruto said. "Calm down Illyana-chan. This is a spar, remember?"

Illyana blinked her eyes and they went back to their normal blue. She was still standing in one of her stepping disks and gently lowered her axe from the overhead strike position. She stepped out of the disk and said, "I'm terribly sorry Tenten. I was so locked in the heat of battle that I got carried away."

Tenten smiled and said, "It's okay; there was no harm done. Besides, I think living on the razor's edge in intense combat is the best place to be. We need to do this again but right now I'm beat."

Illyana smiled relieved that everything was okay. "That would be great Tenten. I-"

"It does my heart good to find Tenten-chan has found a youthful sparring partner to stoke her flames of youth to even greater heights!" yelled Gai as he appeared from nowhere.

"Gai-sensei!" yelled Lee as he ran over to his mentor to greet him.

Illyana had a completely glazed look in her eyes as she looked back and forth between Lee and his older lookalike Gai as they carried on about the flames of youth. '_There are TWO of them! Oh my fucking god!_' she thought in panicked fear.

Tenten placed her hand on Illyana's shoulder. "Illyana, this is Maito Gai, our sensei. Lee learned his *_cough*fashion sense*cough_* from Gai-sensei. Illyana was wondering if the _flames of youth_ weren't some punishment being inflicted upon her for her evil deeds in the past. Just as Gai and Lee were about to embrace each other and initiate the dreaded sunset genjutsu; Tenten intervened by throwing a kunai between them. "Are you two trying to scar poor Illyana for life?" Tenten asked exasperated.

Gai turned to Tenten and Illyana. "Forgive me Tenten, you know our flames of youth sometimes blaze out of control. Illyana-san, I am Maito Gai and I'm very pleased to meet you." By this time Naruto had come up to Illyana's side just in case she needed mental support against the flames of youth. Gai took his nice guy pose. "Naruto-kun! Welcome back to Konoha. Your youthful presence was missed."

Naruto smiled. "Thanks Bushy Brows sensei. I take it you've completed you're observations of Illyana-chan's fighting style for Tsunade baa-chan while you were hiding over there?"

Everyone was surprised. "You've been here all along sensei?" asked Lee.

Gai had an impressed look on his face. "You've grown very observant Naruto-kun. Not even Neji detected me with his byakugan and yet you did."

Neji blushed slightly in embarrassment. He should have noticed Gai-sensei but was preoccupied with…._other_ things.

Gai turned to the others. "I've been here since you started sparring. As Naruto-kun disseminated, Lady Tsunade asked me to test Illyana-san's skills since she requested to be a kunoichi. I was about to introduce myself when you ladies began your most youthful spar and I have to say I'm very impressed with both of your performances. I will also state that your bloodline is quite amazing Illyana-san. It reminds me of our beloved Fourth Hokage's haraishin technique the way you rapidly teleported around. With further refinement it could be quite deadly."

**Later at the Konoha Hot Springs….**

Tenten and Illyana were soaking to relax their muscles after the intense sparring earlier. "So where did you learn to fight like that if you weren't traditionally trained Illyana?" asked Tenten.

Illyana thought of her brutal childhood in Limbo and explained, "The place I grew up in was filled with strife and rebellion. If you wanted to survive you had to learn how to fight and melee weapons were what everyone used traditionally. You don't know how happy I am to be living in a peaceful place with Naruto-kun."

Tenten smiled. "You two seem so happy together. I hope someday I'll find a man that makes me as happy as you are with Naruto."

"Well, Naruto-kun and I met by chance so you never know when it might happen." said Illyana happily. "He amazes me with how happy he makes me feel and takes care of me."

"Must be nice; I'm stuck hearing about the _flames of youth_ to soothe my nerves." laughed Tenten.

Illyana stared into space for a moment and then asked, "Seriously; how do you stand it? Lee was bad enough but if you add in Gai the problem multiplies! I think I'd have hung myself by now if I had to deal with that day in and day out."

Tenten chuckled. "Well, they _are_ an acquired taste. Neji and I both value them as our dear friends and comrades but sometimes we have to tell them to put a sock in it."

"Well, it's great that you can trust and depend on them. I guess I just will have to get adjusted to their antics if we're going to continue to train together." replied Illyana with a smile.

"So tell me…." said Tenten with a gleam in her eye. Illyana was expecting her to ask about something private about Naruto and was surprised when Tenten said, "Where did you get that cool war axe? I want one!"

Illyana just sweat-dropped.

….

Naruto was soaking over in the men's side. He was making sure no perverts were peeking on _his_ Illyana-chan. Actually, Naruto was kind of hoping Ero-sennin would show up just so he could drown the super pervert in the hot springs for writing his latest book and using Naruto and Illyana for inspiration. Alas, the only pervert in the springs at the time was the closet pervert Ebisu and Naruto knew he'd never peep openly because he was too '_gentlemanly_.' He heard Illyana call him to meet her outside and headed over to dry off. Truthfully he was a bit worn from sparring with Neji and Lee under Gai's watchful eye. For what it was worth, his _flames of youth_ were burning brightly according to Gai.

_The next morning_….

Illyana and Naruto had enjoyed a peaceful night's sleep in each other's arms. Actually it was more a matter of necessity. Naruto's bed was only a single and there wasn't much room for two. Consequently they were cuddled close. Illyana cracked open an eye and saw the morning sunlight beaming in. "Curse you giant ball of fire that lights up the sky…." she muttered as she pulled the sheets up to shield her eyes. Naruto was still deeply asleep and the slow rhythm of his heartbeat and breathing was gradually lulling Illyana back to sleep. She felt herself slipping blissfully into dreamland again when the cacophony of Naruto's alarm clock caused her to nearly jump to the ceiling.

Naruto was awakened by Illyana's body jumping up and then none to gently crashing back down upon him startling him completely awake. He groaned before reaching over and turning his alarm off. "Are you okay Illyana-chan? he asked as he looked down and saw Illyana's blue eyes peering from under the sheets she had pulled completely over her head protectively. "Illyana-chan…?"

Her hand shot out from under the bed sheets and pointed at the clock. Then she said, "That….clock….is….evil! I was dozing off all comfy on your chest and it scared the living hell out of me!"

"Sorry Illyana-chan but it's one of the few things that I don't sleep through." said Naruto sheepishly. "I guess we should get up since baa-chan wants to check us over at the hospital."

"I guess you're right Naruto-kun. I'll take the bathroom first so I can shower." Illyana said as she sat up giving Naruto a nice view of her assets.

Naruto smiled appreciatively at the scenery. "Want some company while you shower? I could scrub your back."

Illyana leaned back down and gave him a good morning kiss. "While I think it's a great idea we probably would be in the shower until noon and I don't think Lady Tsunade would appreciate that."

"Alright Illyana-chan. After we both shower we'll get some breakfast and head over to the hospital." replied Naruto as he gave her a peck on the lips.

Within the hour the young couple was at the Dango Shop since Illyana had an urge for sweets that morning. It was there that they ran into Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon who were now all genin under Ebisu.

"Naruto-nii!" said Konohamaru excitedly. "Guys, it's Naruto!"

Naruto saw the three genins run over to greet him. "Hi guys, look at all of you! You all have headbands now. Are you a genin squad now?"

"You bet we are! We're Team Ebisu now." answered Moegi excitedly.

Naruto smiled at his younger friends and looked over at Illyana. "Illyana-chan, these three are good friends of mine. This is Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon. Guys, I'd like you to meet my lovely girlfriend Illyana."

"It's nice to meet you." said Illyana as she stood up and bowed slightly. Moegi was about to reply when Konohamaru started babbling to Udon.

"See? I told you Naruto-nii would come back with a hot girlfriend!" said Konohamaru proudly as Udon nodded in agreement.

Moegi looked at her two teammates sourly before she turned back to Illyana. "Sorry about my teammates. They're idiots sometimes. I'm Moegi and I'm very happy to meet you."

Illyana chuckled. "Are you here for breakfast too?"

"Yep, Ebisu-sensei told us to meet him here to have breakfast before we head out for a mission." explained Moegi.

"Why don't you three join us then?" asked Illyana. "I'm getting to know Naruto's friends since I'm new here in Konoha."

The three genins eagerly joined Naruto and Illyana and filled them in on events that happened while Naruto was away on his training trip. They were also excited for Illyana and encouraged her to be a kunoichi.

"Is that you Uzumaki?" said Ebisu as he walked over to his team.

"Yes, it's me in the proverbial flesh Ebisu." said Naruto. He quickly introduced Illyana to him and Ebisu was a little shocked that Naruto had such a hot woman as his girlfriend (not that he said anything of course).

Soon enough Team Ebisu bid the young couple farewell and Naruto and Illyana departed for the hospital since it was nearly nine o'clock.

"I hope there aren't any needles involved, I _hate_ hospitals!" whined Naruto.

Illyana smiled and giggled. "Don't worry Naruto-kun, I'll be there to protect you from those big, bad needles." she said a she patted his hand.

They entered the hospital and a nurse showed them to their exam rooms which were adjacent to each other. Illyana was smiling as she heard Naruto ranting and raving throughout his checkup about needles. She also heard Shizune threaten to give him a shot if he didn't behave. After that Naruto calmed down but then got loud again when they needed to examine his privates. Illyana nearly cracked up when she heard Tsunade order Naruto to drop his pants since he was sexually active now. Actually, she felt bad for Naruto to be so embarrassed but as a woman she'd endured much worse at the hands of a gynecologist.

About ten minutes later Tsunade knocked and came into the exam room to see Illyana. "I hope you are more cooperative than Naruto; I'm letting Shizune finish up because I was ready to knock him out."

"Is everything okay with him?" asked Illyana concerned.

Tsunade nodded. "Oh, Naruto's fine. Better than fine really. He's always been unnaturally healthy anyway. He's developed into a very _well endowed_ young man. You must be quite happy." she added mischievously.

Illyana blushed. "Naruto-kun makes me _very_ happy."

"Well, I'm going to have to run a full battery of tests Illyana. Since you're not from the Elemental Countries where going to have to inoculate you for diseases."

_An hour later…._

Naruto was pacing the hall waiting on Illyana's results from her examination. He saw Tsunade come out and asked, "Tsunade baa-chan, is Illyana-chan okay? That took a long time." He looked very worried.

Tsunade patted his shoulder. "Illyana's fine and she's a _much _better patient than you. We had to draw blood for a battery of tests so she's a little weak. You should take her out to lunch and feed her. She should be fine after that."

Naruto look relieved. "Thank you Tsunade baa-chan."

Tsunade smiled. "I also put her on a birth control prescription so you two won't have to worry so much." Naruto blushed a little bit a thanked her.

After they checked out of the hospital, Illyana and Naruto decided to have barbeque at Yakiniku Q which was Team Asuma's favorite hangout. It turned out Illyana had a taste for Korean barbeque so she enjoyed herself immensely.

As the pair left Yakiniku Q they were unaware they were being shadowed by ANBU members with blank masks. Their orders were to discover what Illyana's mysterious bloodline was and whether it could be useful to Danzo….The old warhawk was already making covert moves to try and get the girl in ROOT but her close proximity to the nine-tail's container and thus the Hokage would present problems. Danzo understood she had little traditional training but was apparently skilled nonetheless. It was a vexing loose end and Shimura Danzo _did not_ tolerate loose ends….

They had no idea about it but Illyana and Naruto were in for a rough ride….

POSTSCRIPT:

Next time we'll finally meet up with Sakura and see if Lee's predictions will come true. This update came out rapidly though I didn't plan it that way. See everyone next time (whenever that is). Blue out. 12/13/14


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the X-Men

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: _

….And here we are with chapter 4. A lot of characters are in for unexpected surprises this chapter.

Last Time:

_After they checked out of the hospital, Illyana and Naruto decided to have barbeque at Yakiniku Q which was Team Asuma's favorite hangout. It turned out Illyana had a taste for Korean barbeque so she enjoyed herself immensely. _

_As the pair left Yakiniku Q they were unaware they were being shadowed by ANBU members with blank masks. Their orders were to discover what Illyana's mysterious bloodline was and whether it could be useful to Danzo….The old warhawk was already making covert moves to try and get the girl in ROOT but her close proximity to the nine-tail's container and thus the Hokage would present problems. Danzo understood she had little traditional training but was apparently skilled nonetheless. It was a vexing loose end and Shimura Danzo did not tolerate loose ends…. _

_They had no idea about it but Illyana and Naruto were in for a rough ride…._

**The Village of Konoha**

The chunin ninja Haruno Sakura arrived back from Suna along with Team Asuma and Temari. Temari and Shikamaru were setting things up for the next chunin exams but Ino, Choji and Sakura were just along for the ride playing escort (It was easy B rank pay so why not?) Checking in with the gate guards the group reported in their mission was accomplished and then went their separate ways. Lady Tsunade flagged Sakura to come back to her office. "Sakura, that Naruto kid is back in town. I thought you'd like to know."

Sakura smiled. "Really? What's he like now? Has he matured any?"

Tsunade's gut reaction was to say '_He's matured in ways you wouldn't believe_' but instead she said. "He's changed a lot. He's quite a bit taller now."

_Meanwhile…._

Naruto and Illyana had just received the keys to their new apartment. It was in a building that strictly catered to ninjas and their families so there wasn't as much bias here against Naruto. With some help from Shizune they were able to set up shop fairly painlessly. They were on the third floor in apartment 311. Once they got things established it was an easy task to seal up Naruto's belongs from the old apartment and use Illyana's stepping disks to go from the old to the new place. They agreed that some new furniture was in order (starting with a new bed with some room) but for now they were content.

The pair decided to have lunch out and get food to stock the refrigerator with afterwards. They were planning to go to Yakiniku Q again when they ran into Shikamaru and Temari on the way. Naruto was delighted to see them. "Shikamaru, Temari! How are you guys? Are you on a date?"

"That's not it." answered Shikamaru.

Temari huffed. "You're joking. Why would I go with such a….There's a chunin exam soon. I'm going between Konoha and Suna for meetings."

Naruto said, "Guys, I'd like you to meet my beautiful girlfriend Illyana-chan. Illyana-chan, this is Nara Shikamaru and Temari-san from Suna."

Illyana bowed. "I'm Illyana Rasputin. It's a pleasure to meet you both." she said as she interlaced her fingers with Naruto's.

Shikamaru looked a bit wide eyed. '_Naruto has a girlfriend? I thought he was in love with Sakura_….' "It's nice to meet you Illyana."

"We were just going to get some lunch at Yakiniku Q." said Naruto. "Do you guys want to join us?"

Temari and Shikamaru agreed as much out of curiosity about the foreign looking beauty Illyana and how such a pretty girl could possibly see something in the likes of Naruto.

As they were eating Shikamaru revealed that everyone in their class was a chunin by now which shocked Naruto a bit. He knew about Team Gai's promotions but never dreamed everyone else was ahead of him too.

"So are you planning on entering the exams?" asked Shikamaru.

Naruto looked thoughtful. "Well, it's a possibility but I also need to help Illyana-chan with her training. She wants to join the shinobi forces too if she can. I'll have to discuss it with Tsunade baa-chan. The two of us are going to be busy the next few days getting our new apartment set up. Illyana-chan and I really need some stuff for the bedroom and to fill the cupboards today. That's why we were out to begin with."

"You two are living together?" asked Temari with shock evident in her voice.

Illyana nodded. "Yep! Naruto-kun's old apartment was too small for us to live comfortably and it was in a bad part of town. We moved into the ninja apartment complex on Harashima Lane."

"The light blue building?" asked Shikamaru.

"That's the one." answered Illyana. "Since it's all ninjas living there we figure it should be pretty safe. Our new apartment is nice too but it needs some decorating."

"When did you two start living together?" asked Temari.

"Well we've more or less lived together for a couple of months but this is the first time both our names are on the actual lease papers." said Naruto as he smiled at Illyana.

She smiled back. "It's a whole new experience for both of us. We're really happy with our new place."

After bidding Temari and Shikamaru farewell, Naruto and Illyana went to the furniture store and started looking into bedroom furniture. They finally found a double bed with some end tables that was in their price range and decided to purchase it since it was on clearance. After making arrangements for it to be delivered and set up for them the next day they did some grocery shopping which included a cookbook. Illyana knew how to do basic cooking but didn't know any of the normal foods in Konoha. On the other hand, Naruto knew how to cook wild game on the road but didn't know much other than cup ramen as far as cooking around the house.

Once they got the basics Naruto sealed their groceries up in a scroll and assured Illyana they would learn how to cook together. Naruto and Illyana came around the corner and nearly crashed into a certain pink haired girl. Naruto looked dumbfounded for a moment and then said "Sa-Sakura?" as he moved back to get out of hitting range.

"Eh, Naruto?" asked the pinkette. She looked at him and blushed slightly. Sakura smiled. "How do I look? Do I look more like a woman now?" '_What happened to Sakura-chan?!_' she wondered.

Naruto wondered, '_Since when has she cared what I think of her appearance? She'd slug me normally if I even said anything_.' "You look fine! You haven't changed at all!" he replied with a fake smile.

Sakura was gritting her teeth and thought '_You still don't understand a woman's mind._' but then she said, "You've….You've gotten taller than me?"

"Yeah…." he replied noncommittally.

Illyana thought, '_This is the chick that Naruto-kun had a huge crush on? She isn't much to look at…._' She looked at Sakura's lack of chest and large forehead. '_Nope, not much to admire at all really_….'

Sakura smiled again. '_Hmm….Naruto….You've become really strong since I last saw you_….' she thought happily.

"Well, I've got to talk to the Hokage to see about signing up for the next chunin exams. Everyone is ahead of me because I was away on my training trip." said Naruto as he started moving away subtly.

'…._So, Naruto hasn't just matured in appearance. You have really become amazing Naruto_.' thought Sakura as she continued to smile.

Illyana could tell Naruto wasn't feeling comfortable at all. She saw he wanted an excuse to get away. She was about to intervene when Sakura said, "Why don't we go for ramen for old time's sake? I'll even buy!" with a big smile.

The young sorceress said, "So tell me Naruto-kun, who's your friend?" as she wrapped her arms around his.

Naruto looked at Illyana with immense relief written on his face. "Illyana-chan…." He motioned to the rather dumbfounded Sakura and said with much more enthusiasm, "Illyana-chan, this is Haruno Sakura my old teammate. I mentioned we used to be in a three man cell before under Hatake Kakashi didn't I?"

Illyana nodded, "Yes you did. I should have known by the pink hair."

Naruto turned to the stunned Sakura. "Sakura, this is my beautiful girlfriend Illyana Rasputin. She's new to Konoha so please treat her kindly."

Illyana smiled and said pleasantly, "It's nice to meet you, please call me Illyana."

Sakura was in total shock. '_He has a girlfriend?! What about me?!_' She covered her surprise and said, "I'm Sakura; it's nice to meet you." with a fake smile that didn't reach her eyes.

Illyana saw right through her and gave a rather mean smile. "Well, Naruto-kun and I just ate so we'll have to pass on your kind offer to buy us lunch. Come on Naruto-kun, we need to put those groceries away back at _our_ place."

Naruto nodded. "Sure thing Illyana-chan. Well, I'll see you around Sakura." With that he slipped his arm around Illyana's narrow waist and they headed back to their new apartment leaving a dumbfounded Sakura standing there still with the fake smile on her face as she gave a goodbye wave.

**Later at Naruto and Illyana's apartment**….

The pair had put the groceries away and were sitting together on Naruto's beat up couch from his old apartment.

"Are you really afraid of that girl?" asked Illyana in a concerned tone.

Naruto shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. "It wasn't really fear Illyana-chan. It was more like confusion. Since when has _Haruno Sakura_ of all people wanted to know what I thought she looked like? For all that matter, why in hell would she ask me out for ramen like it was a date or something? I used to praise her to high heaven for her beauty and always asked her for dates but she had nothing but scorn for me and would punch me. I wonder what I ever saw in her given she's so abusive." Naruto shook his head again. "….And that smile she was giving me creeped me out. It was almost like she was genuinely happy to see me. That's _never_ happened before."

"Maybe she was." said Illyana. "You said you used to be really short but now you're tall and handsome. Maybe she thinks you're worthy of being boyfriend material now." Illyana kissed him deeply and the two teens came up for air about ten minutes later. "Too bad for her you're taken. If she tries anything I'll put her in her place –and don't let her hit you either. You're not her punching bag. You're my boyfriend and I love you."

Naruto hugged Illyana tight. "I love you too Illyana-chan. I could never be happier than I am with you." The pair decided to cuddle awhile talking about nothing and everything before they had their first dinner together in their new home.

**Meanwhile at the Haruno residence**….

Ino was over visiting Sakura. Well actually; Sakura had invited Ino over and was ranting and raving to Ino about the topic of the evening; Uzumaki Naruto.

"_That idiot! How dare he run out and get a girlfriend!_" screeched the pinkette. "He always said he loved _only me_ and that he and I were going to save Sasuke together. Now he's with that blonde foreigner and doesn't even give me a second glance. Not _once_ did he look at me with the adoration in his blue eyes he always had. He even passed when I asked him out for ramen! -And he just called me Sakura; he didn't even call me _Sakura-chan!"_

Ino was surprised about the news that Naruto was back in town and was even more surprised had moved on from Sakura but felt the pinkette was overreacting. "Calm down forehead girl. You never seemed interested in Naruto before, you were too busy calling him an idiot and pounding his head. What's changed? I'd think you'd be glad he moved on. Now he won't pester you with all his compliments or annoy you by asking you to ramen constantly."

"Well….Naruto's changed." said Sakura.

"In what way?" asked Ino trying to figure out her friend's fixation.

Sakura pondered a moment and got a faraway look in her green eyes. "He's really matured. Naruto's all tall and handsome now. I can tell how strong and amazing he's become. Lady Tsunade said he'd changed a lot but I had _no_ idea how much."

Ino sighed. "So you're telling me the number one knucklehead ninja has become grown up and cool and now you want him as your boyfriend?"

"I never said that!" said Sakura with a blush.

"But you would consider him dating material." said Ino.

Sakura felt her face heating up. "Well….I guess so in a way…."

Ino would have called Sakura a hypocrite but frankly she was in total disbelief that Naruto could have become attractive enough to get Sakura all hot and bothered like this. "Forehead, this is something I've got to see for myself. I just can't picture Naruto growing up into some kind of hottie. Are you busy tomorrow?"

Sakura shook her head. "I've got two days off before I have another shift at the hospital since we took that mission to Suna."

Ino said, "Then the two of us are going to go Uzumaki Naruto hunting so I can check him out."

"What?! Why would you have any interest in Naruto?" asked Sakura with a hint of jealousy in her voice.

"I want to make sure my best friend hasn't completely lost her mind." replied Ino with a tone of finality.

_The next day_….

Early in the morning Ino and Sakura met up at a café and had breakfast. Sakura revealed that Naruto's apartment was over in the red light district and Ino was a bit shocked. As they traipsed through the bad side of town Ino said, "Naruto really lives in this hellhole?" She looked at the run down building Naruto's former dwelling was in. "This is terrible Sakura! He grew up alone as a child in a place like this? I feel guilty not helping him…."

Sakura winced as she took in the sights. Most of the people avoided them because they were armed kunoichis and she was glad for it. "I didn't even know about it until we were genin and on a team. Kakashi-sensei brought us over here to retrieve Naruto a couple of times when he was late. I was too young at the time and just thought it was gross."

They travelled up the rickety stairs to Naruto's apartment. It was torn up and had graffiti on it with words like _demon_ and _go back to hell!_ painted across it. It was in a dismal state and Sakura took a minute before she gathered the courage to knock. '_I guess Kakashi-sensei knocked last time. Did I just not notice or just not care?_' she pondered to herself.

A drunken man peered out of his door from across the hall behind them. "If you're looking for the _demon_ they threw him and his whore out. There's no one living there now." he slurred.

Ino looked at the drunk strangely. "By _demon_ do you mean Uzumaki Naruto?"

The man nodded drunkenly. "That's what he calls himself but we all know what he _really_ is….There was a bunch of screaming over there the other night. Rumor has it he killed some poor woman. They ought to lock him up in a cage and kill him for what he's done."

Sakura looked at the man with confusion in her eyes. "What did he do that was so bad?"

The drunk shook his head. "Can't say; the Third's law you know. I'm just glad he's gone from here…." The man closed his door quickly and locked it.

The two confused kunoichis poked around and looked in through the windows. They saw the place was devoid of furniture and life. They went downstairs and asked the landlady about it and she said that _it_ was gone and she didn't care where. She wouldn't say anything else.

By midmorning the two hadn't gotten anywhere asking around and headed over to one of the parks to sit down and relax as they drank their sodas. Ino said. "That was _horrible_ Sakura; I knew a lot of people didn't like his pranking as a kid but the unbridled _hatred_ towards him over in that part of town was sickening. They acted like he wasn't even a human being. How did he survive in such an environment and still turn out sane?"

Sakura wiped a tear from her eye. "I don't know Ino. We need to see Lady Tsunade and make sure he has a place to stay. My folks have a spare room; maybe we could put him up for a couple of days till he can get a new place." With that the two distressed chunins went over to the Hokage Tower.

Shizune was soon talking to the two girls. "Lady Tsunade is in a meeting and can't be disturbed. What has you two girls so upset?"

Sakura explained, "Shizune-senpai, we went over to see Naruto at his apartment since he's back in town and all his neighbors acted _horrible_. They said he was thrown out a few days ago and were glad. Ino and I want to find him. He can't be living on the streets. We're both worried."

Shizune smiled softly. "He isn't on the streets you two. He moved over into a nicer part of town in the ninja district. I assure you that Naruto is just fine. I helped him make the arrangements for his new lease. Knowing him, he's probably sleeping in at his new place."

"Where is he now?" asked Ino. "We'd like to go visit him." It was obvious to Shizune that Sakura and Ino were greatly relieved.

Shizune smiled and said, "I'm sorry girls but you know the rules. I can't reveal a ninja's residence unless it's mission related for security reasons. Just hang around at Ichiraku Ramen and you know he's bound to show up eventually. He's a certified ramen addict you know!" she laughed.

The two chunins left in obviously much higher spirits. Shizune was glad that they cared about her surrogate younger brother but at the same time wondered how Sakura didn't know how bad it was where Naruto used to live. '_Hadn't Sakura ever been over to his apartment before? They were teammates after all_….' Shizune decided not to worry about it and got back to her paperwork.

_At lunchtime_….

Naruto and Illyana were coming out of Tenten's shop with Naruto sporting a whole new look. He now wore a black and burnt orange tiger striped shirt and pants with a black over robe with a red spiral on the back.** Illyana was immensely pleased with her choice in her boyfriend's new attire because it showed off his body with its snug fit and looked sharp on him. It also was much more effective camouflage. Naruto liked it because it was orange. He also had his red and black sage coat he could wear over it but he wasn't currently.

Illyana likewise adopted a new style. She wore a long blue battle kimono with slits and long sleeves over a mesh suit with a strap for her melee weapon of choice (currently her war axe). Frankly, Illyana liked Temari's taste in clothing and decided to try it out to some extent. Unlike Temari though, her medium blue battle kimono had a pattern on it like crashing waves and she had a dark blue obi. She also sported shin guards under the kimono.

They both had fingerless gloves with metal plates on the back and shinobi sandals as well. Naruto also had splurged and bought new kunai and shuriken sets for both of them. His old ones were worn out so he traded them in at Tenten's shop for scrap. The young couple decided to head over to get ramen for lunch since they'd spent so much on weapons but that suited Illyana just fine. The only ramen she'd eaten before Ichiraku's was instant cup ramen and frankly, Ichiraku's was a delicacy compared to that. When they arrived, Teuchi and Ayame were glad to see their favorite customer still had a healthy appetite.

Ayame was amazed that Naruto's girlfriend Illyana actually convinced him to eat his vegetables. She also approved of Naruto's new uniform that Illyana was showing her. Truthfully, Ayame had no idea how nice a body Naruto had been hiding under that track suit. Teuchi saw the genuine love and affection the young couple had in their eyes for one another and was truly happy for them. On the other hand Teuchi's businessman side had ryo signs in his eyes thinking of all the little blond haired, blue eyed children these two would have in the future and would consume _boatloads_ of ramen!

It was this sight that Sakura and Ino looked upon. They were observing from a café across the sreet under an umbrella. Naruto came out of Ichiraku's and unintentionally showed off his muscles by stretching a bit. If Sakura had been stunned yesterday she was absolutely floored now. '_He's been hiding THAT under that loud tracksuit all this time?_' Sakura was feeling very wet and flustered as she ogled Naruto in his new attire.

For her part, Ino was shocked herself. '_Damn! No wonder forehead is so hot and bothered. How could that little shrimp have grown up into such a stud? What's poor Hinata going to do?_' Feeling a little aroused herself; Ino was going to walk over and say 'hello' and get a better look at the goods but was stopped by Sakura who pointed. Out of the ramen stall walked Illyana smiling and she took Naruto's outstretched hand. When the pair walked together it was if the belonged with one another and always had. Ino took in Illyana's delicate and exotic foreign features and saw the girl really was beautiful and had a great body.

That's when both Ino and Sakura's eyes were drawn to something else. Strapped neatly to Illyana's petite back was a war axe that looked like it weighed more than she did. The dual edged business end looked like it could cut a person in half without much effort. It was obvious this Illyana girl was _deadly_.

Ino now saw what Sakura had though, when Naruto walked he had poise, power, maturity and a grace he'd never shown before. He looked every part a seasoned and confident warrior; and frankly as they walked hand in hand _llyana looked perfect with him._

**Naruto and Illyana's apartment,that evening**….

Before they went out to dinner, Illyana and Naruto heard a strange noise outside the door that kept going on for nearly ten minutes. The young couple went to answer the door with kunais in hand.

Naruto opened the door and found himself face to face with a _massive_ anaconda. He recoiled and fell into a defensive position but Illyana summoned her war axe and beheaded the beast with extreme prejudice in an instant. That's when they heard a voice that Naruto knew too well….Mitarashi Anko, the crazy snake lady from the chunin exams.

Anko stared at the still writhing, headless body of her pet anaconda and shrieked "What did you do to my Fluffy?" as she cried anime tears. She saw Illyana's bloody war axe and said "You…!" as she pointed at the girl.

Illyana's eyes narrowed as she brought her war axe back up to the ready position. "You got a problem sister? I don't mind making you and _Fluffy_ a matched set…."

The two women glared at each other with visible sparks between their eyes. Suddenly Anko threw her head back and started laughing. "I like you girl. You are a cold, hard bitch. We're going to get along just fine. When I heard new neighbors were moving in across the hall I summoned Fluffy to scare them but you didn't even bat an eyelash!"

Illyana looked at Naruto who sweat dropped and said "Illyana-chan, this is the crazy snake lady…."

Anko interrupted, "I'm _not_ 'the crazy snake lady.' Well, actually I am but my name is Mitarashi Anko, call me Anko girl. I don't recognize you. Are you new here in Konoha?"

Illyana nodded. "I'm Illyana Rasputin, I just moved here to Konoha with Naruto-kun. I'm planning to join the shinobi forces if I can."

"Well, I'll vouch that you're pretty handy with an axe; you looking for a jonin to apprentice under?" asked Anko.

Illyana shrugged, "Well, if that's what I need to do to join then yes."

Anko smiled evilly. "Don't apprentice under Uzumaki's sensei then. His name is Hatake Kakashi. He's a lazy Cyclops pervert that's always late. Rumor has it he'll be late for his own funeral."

Seeing Naruto agreeing silently Illyana said, "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

Anko nodded and said, "Well, you've passed my test to be my new neighbors; we'll have to hang out sometime. I'll let you two lovebirds get back to whatever you were doing." She went back into her room 312 across the hall. "If you need me for something just knock. Goodnight!"

"What about Fluffy?" asked Naruto incredulously.

Anko said over her shoulder as she closed her door. "Someone else will clean up the mess; no worries!"

Naruto shrugged and looked at Fluffy. "Do you like snakes Illyana-chan?"

"What do you mean?" asked Ilyana puzzled. _Did Naruto want a pet?_

"They are pretty good eating." clarified Naruto. "I can cook snake up pretty well if I say so myself. I'd hate to see _Fluffy_ go to waste."

"If you're willing to gut him I'm game to try snake." answered Illyana.

Fluffy actually turned out to be a pretty good dinner….

_The following morning_….

Illyana was in a good mood. They were expecting the new bed to be delivered today and since the old bed frame gave out and collapsed last night because of she and Naruto's _activities_….the timing couldn't have been better. Anyway, she'd just gotten out of her shower and had her favorite black sleeping yukata with the orange sash on when she heard someone knocking at the front door. Illyana felt her eyebrow start to twitch as she got a terrible feeling of déjà vu. Naruto was still in his shower so she had to answer the damn door. _They had the silencing seals up last night!_ If someone was there to complain about the noise Illyana decided she would just summon her war axe and take their head off.

With her thoughts of a nice, peaceful breakfast with Naruto-kun ruined; she stormed over to the door.

_Outside_….

Hatake Kakashi was standing in the hall outside Apartment 311. He'd been knocking on the door steadily for a while and was beginning to wonder if Naruto was even home. '_Is this even the right apartment?_' he wondered. About that time Illyana opened the door in her short black sleeping yukata looking like a vision with her damp blonde hair. Kakashi just stared and blushed under his mask.

"Is there a reason you're beating on my door this morning or did you just come to stare at me?" she asked in an irritated tone. "By the way; my _face_ is up here!" she said pointing at her face and away from her breasts.

Kakashi looked embarrassed. "I'm terribly sorry; I thought this was Uzumaki Naruto's residence. I must be on the wrong floor." he said with an eye smile. '_Though it was worth it to see this little wet dream_.' he thought.

"This _is_ Uzumaki Naruto's residence." said Illyana. "He's in the shower. Who are you anyway?"

Kakashi was taken aback but said, "I'm Hatake Kakashi, Naruto's old sensei. I came to evaluate his performance before he re-enters the shinobi forces." he explained.

"You're the lazy Cyclops pervert that's always late then?" asked Illyana bluntly.

A rain cloud appeared above Kakashi's head as he shed anime tears. "Is that all my beloved student had to say about me?"

"No, that's what our neighbor Mitarashi Anko said about you. She lives across the hall from us in 312." explained the blond girl as she pointed to 312 behind Kakashi.

Kakashi's visible eye widened. '_Our neighbor?_' "Are you saying you _live here_ with Naruto?"

Illyana answered as if it was obvious. "_Of course_ I live here. Naruto is my boyfriend and we moved into together when I moved to Konoha to be with him. Oh, I'm Illyana Rasputin by the way."

Kakashi's brain was shorted out. '_Naruto came back from his training trip with this total babe and is living with her? Gee; Uzumaki Naruto, how did you land this hot piece of ass?_' "Well, what did Naruto have to say about me?" asked Kakashi changing the subject.

"He said you didn't teach him much and that you always have your face stuck in Ero-sennin's books." replied Illyana curtly.

The rain cloud returned briefly but then Kakashi eye smiled. "Well, I admit I'm a huge fan of Jiraiya-sama's books!" he said as he whipped _Icha Icha: The Soldier and the Sorceress_ out of his pocket. "This is a masterpiece. Are you a fan too?"

Illyana's eyes stared at the book flashing as if she was _willing_ it to ignite. She said icily, "No, I don't read Ero-sennin's smutty garbage. I'll tell Naruto you're here when he gets out of the shower." With that she slammed the door in Kakashi's face.

"I guess I'll just wait out here in the hall….Some people just don't appreciate fine literature." muttered Kakashi to no one in particular. Soon he was giggling perversely at Yana and Ruto's little tryst in the bed of the lord they were supposed to be guarding….After all, she needed her magic recharged….

_Inside…._

Naruto was just getting out of the shower when he heard the front door slam. He saw Illyana come marching over and she said, "You have a guest named Kakashi waiting out in the hall reading that damnable book Ero-sennin wrote about us." She was clearly _not_ happy about it.

Naruto paused and placed his hands on her hips as he looked deeply into her blue eyes with his own. He said seriously, "Well, I hate to do it but we'll have to invite him in so we can hack him into small pieces, wrap them in foil and deposit them in dumpsters around Konoha. If we are found out we'll just claim it was self-defense or justifiable homicide."

Kakashi could hear Illyana's laughter ringing out into the hall and wondered why he had a cold feeling up his spine….

An hour and a half later Naruto opened the door and found Kakashi sitting in the hallway reading. He'd had an enjoyable breakfast with Illyana-chan and was dressed in his new combat gear. "Sorry I'm late Kakashi-sensei, I got lost on the road of life."

Kakashi got a huge sweat drop and thought, '_Do I always sound that lame?_' He looked up and saw Naruto in his black and burnt orange tiger striped gear. The aura Naruto was giving off was one of reserved confidence and power. '_This is Naruto?!_' It reminded Kakashi so much of Minato-sensei it sent chills down his spine. "Well Naruto; It looks like you've grown up a lot. Lady Tsunade asked me to pick you up to be evaluated."

Naruto nodded. "You don't look like you've changed a bit Kakashi-sensei."

Ilyana came to the door in her crane patterned blue kimono and the young couple engaged in a passionate kiss goodbye. "Do you want me to leave a couple of clones to help with the new bed and tables when they arrive Illyana-chan?" asked Naruto.

Illyana considered for a moment but then said, "Well, the delivery people should set up the new bed for us but I'll need help getting what's left of the old one out. We kind of totaled it out last night. I guess it couldn't take the strain."

Kakashi's nose almost exploded into a geyser of blood. He was feeling faint. After Naruto created two clones and gave Illyana a peck on the lips goodbye, he and Kakashi headed towards the Hokage Tower.

**The Hokage Tower**….

"….And that's why I want Illyana Rasputin to be my apprentice! The steel in her eyes alone tells me that she'll by a damn fine kunoichi that I'd be proud to teach!" said Mitarashi Anko with fire in her eyes and passion in her voice as she clenched her fist with conviction.

"…." said Tsunade.

'_?_' thought Shizune.

Finally, Tsunade said with authority in her voice. "Special Jonin Mitarashi Anko, who has turned down the sensei position again and again because you '_hate brats'_ and think it's '_a pain in the ass_' actually want an apprentice? Is this some kind of joke?"

Anko kind of shrank back on herself and looked at Shizune for support whose eyes said, '_We are not amused!'_

"I _really_ want to teach this girl. I think she'll be something great someday. Don't you believe me?" asked Anko in a little girl voice.

Tsunade looked at the earnest look in Anko's eyes. '_She really means this but why?_' "Tell me Anko, why is it you want to train this girl? Tell me the moment you felt the feeling _I want to train her_."

Anko thought for a moment with her index finger at her lips and then said. "It was the very second she heartlessly beheaded Fluffy."

"_Ummm….what?_ Who the hell is Fluffy?" was the Hokage's confused reply.

"Whenever new neighbors move in across from me I send my giant pet anaconda Fluffy to scare the living shit out of them." explained Anko.

Shizune face faulted, '_No wonder that room had a special discount_.'

"So what happened?" asked Tsunade dreading the answer.

Anko answered, "Whiskers jumped back into a defensive position with a kunai which is acceptable by my standards for neighbors. Most people piss themselves or run screaming."

"….And _what_ gives you the right to impose these so-called standards on your new neighbors?" asked Shizune incredulously.

"I have to know whether they'll have my back or not in a fight…." said Anko darkly. "I've got no use for cowards."

Tsunade sighed, "So Naruto passed your test, what about Illyana?"

Anko got stars in her eyes. "Illyana-chan's eyes flashed coldly and then she beheaded Fluffy with a war axe. She did it in an instant with no hesitation or mercy. That's when I thought to myself, _I must teach this girl!_"

Tsunade face planted on her desk but Anko went on. "Then I threatened her for killing my pet and she told me she'd chop my head off too!" Anko sounded giddy. "You know what the best thing of all is?"

Tsunade and Shizune both groaned, "….._What?_"

Anko smiled ear to ear. "After I left them with the headless remains they had _Fluffy_ for dinner!"

"_OH. MY. GAWD_." moaned out Shizune. Tsunade couldn't help but agree.

POSTSCRIPT:

**This is a burnt orange version of Gen-Fu's outfit from DOA2: Hardcore only it is much more form fitting.

This chapter was a bit odd to write. Some of the dialogue lines of Shikamaru, Temari and later Sakura were more or less taken directly from the manga. At the point in the manga when Naruto and Sakura were reunited I could actually have seen glimpses of Sakura having romantic feelings towards Naruto. Of course, in the manga Naruto started acting like his goofy self and Sakura predictably decked him. In this case Naruto didn't start acting silly and therefore Sakura's admiration grows. Illyana's presence automatically throws Sakura's game off because she's used to having Naruto wrapped around her little finger.

It will be interesting writing this because I don't view Sakura as being **_intentionally_** violent or antagonistic towards Naruto but sometimes she just is. I'm sure there are others who disagree but that's just my angle on things. Illyana is another story….Blue out. 12/26/14


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 5_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the X-Men

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: _

There are going to be some major changes from canon events as we go along here. I've found that writing out events virtually verbatim from the manga is monotonous and not creative or fun for me at all. That being said; here is chapter 5:

Last Time:

_Tsunade sighed, "So Naruto passed your test, what about Illyana?"_

_Anko got stars in her eyes. "Illyana-chan's eyes flashed coldly and then she beheaded Fluffy with a war axe. She did it in an instant with no hesitation or mercy. That's when I thought to myself, I must teach this girl!" _

_Tsunade face planted on her desk but Anko went on. "Then I threatened her for killing my pet and she told me she'd chop my head off too!" Anko sounded giddy. "You know what the best thing of all is?"_

_Tsunade and Shizune both groaned, "…..What?"_

_Anko smiled ear to ear. "After I left them with the headless remains they had Fluffy for dinner!"_

_"OH. MY. GAWD." moaned out Shizune. Tsunade couldn't help but agree._

**The Village of Konoha**

Naruto was walking along with Kakashi who had his face stuck in _Icha Icha: The Soldier and the Sorceress_. Naruto wanted to smack him around for it but figured Kakashi would figure out that the book was about himself and Illyana if he reacted too badly. They saw a very happy Anko basically skipping out of the Hokage Tower.

"Hey Hatake; hey Whiskers! Is Illyana-chan still home?" asked Anko cheerfully.

Kakashi just waved but Naruto answered, "She should be at home. She's waiting for our new bed and end tables to be delivered so she'll be there till this afternoon. Why do you ask?"

Anko smiled. "I have an offer for her she can't refuse! I'll see you guys later!" she replied before speeding off in a cloud of dust.

"I wonder what that was all about?" pondered Naruto.

"Anko probably wants to teach your girlfriend the _Way of Tea_ or something." said Kakashi with a shrug.

Naruto asked, "The _Way of Tea_? What's that?"

"Anko's hobby is conducting tea ceremonies or the _Way of Tea_." answered Kakashi.

'_Her hobby is tea ceremonies? I just can't picture it_….' thought Naruto with a shake of his head. The idea of Mitarashi Anko being in a formal kimono conducting something as civilized as a tea ceremony blew his mind.

The two men entered the Hokage Tower and checked in with Shizune who complimented Naruto's new attire. She approved of Illyana's tastes wholeheartedly but sweat dropped when Naruto said he really liked it because it was _orange_.

Naruto and Kakashi followed Shizune into Lady Tsunade's office. They saw Tsunade looking at Kakashi with a glare and Sakura looking at Naruto with a blush. Both Tsunade and Kakashi raised an eyebrow at Sakura's adoring look at Naruto though he seemed not to notice or was just plain oblivious. Tsunade spoke up. "Well Kakashi, you're even _later_ than usual. I was counting down my days to retirement while I was waiting."

"Kakashi-sensei got lost on the road of life and therefore we are late." lied Naruto smoothly.

Kakashi's visible eye widened as all the killing intent in the room fell upon him. "Um….Actually, Naruto-"

"Save me the excuses Kakashi." said Tsunade irritably. "Now that you're all here Kakashi is going to test you two."

Naruto and Sakura turned to Kakashi and he explained. "From now on you two will be joining me on team related missions." He held out the bells from their genin test which jingled. "I'm curious to see how you two have developed. The rules are the same as when I first met you two. If you don't come at me with the _intent to kill_, you will never succeed in getting the bells!"

**Third Training Ground**

Soon the three were at their old training grounds with the three posts. "Well, this place….I've missed it." said Naruto as Sakura voiced her agreement.

"Ah, that's right." said Kakashi. "This is where you first trained isn't it? That time, Sasuke was around too wasn't he?" He got unexpected reactions. Sakura seemed to fall into a pit of depression and Naruto….looked angry? '_I guess Sasuke's name is taboo with these two._" Kakashi thought with a sweat drop. Kakashi clapped his book shut to get their attention and said "Shall we begin?"

Sakura slipped on her fighting gloves as Naruto adjusted his headband. Kakashi exposed his sharingan and said "Alright, start!"

The three exploded into action with Sakura splitting the earth to knock Kakashi off his feet. Kakashi was shocked that Sakura had learned Tsunade's incredible strength technique but was even more shocked when Naruto appeared out of nowhere and used the toad style to brutally hit Kakashi in the gut sending him tumbling end over end into the trees where he rolled to a stop.

"You're really good Naruto!" complimented Sakura.

"You're pretty good yourself Sakura." said Naruto. "Shame he was a shadow clone or we might have taken him out."

Sakura gasped as the bashed up Kakashi clone dispelled. "How did you know?"

Naruto pointed directly back into the trees where the real Kakashi was concealed and said, "He's been hiding over there observing us since before we arrived. Let's not get cocky though."

Sakura thought '_Wow_….' to herself as she saw Kakashi get a totally shocked look on his face in the distance and disappear again. '_Naruto's become so….cool and mature_….' She found herself blushing again.

Kakashi was back in the trees recovering from the phantom pain from Naruto's hit to his shadow clone. He was sweating. '_That hit from Naruto probably would have damaged some internal organs! Just as bad; Sakura could probably level this forest! What the hell have these two been **eating** to make them that strong?! Worse yet, Naruto knew where the real me was all along. Has he had sensory ninjutsu training? I wish Lord Jiraiya had come back with him so I could have prepared better_.' The jonin stared in shock and then dove for cover when he saw Naruto use the wind cutter technique to send a massive blade of wind at him that cut down some of the trees he was hiding among.

"That got his attention." said Naruto. "Any ideas Sakura? He said we have until sunrise but it looks like he wants to play hide and seek with us."

"Let's conceal ourselves and try to figure something out." answered Sakura. "You're using sensory ninjutsu right? If your clones can use it then we should be able to root him out."

As Naruto and Sakura discussed their plans Naruto sent out a group of thirty clones to individually harass Kakashi. "He really doesn't have any real weaknesses except lack of stamina." said Naruto. "My clones will wear him down a little bit and keep him from resting. Let's keep him fighting for a little while and then we'll move in."

For his part Kakashi was finding himself under constant attack from Naruto's shadow clones and _wasn't_ enjoying it at all. Every time he defeated one another would appear seconds later. '_Those two could be sitting down for a picnic lunch visiting while I am out here in the forest losing a bloody battle of attrition! Damn; they've gotten smarter as well as stronger. Naruto has enough chakra to spam shadow clones all day long_.' Kakashi appeared at the edge of the clearing to look for the real Naruto and Sakura only to find several sets of shadow clones (half of them henged into Sakura) in various states of concealment all around. As he searched around, the air was getting humid and he was sweating. It was so hot that the air was distorted from the heat rising. He suddenly put two and two together and yelled "Genjutsu! Kai!"

The genjutsu Sakura cast cleared just in time for him to see her fist inches from his face and heard Naruto rushing in directly behind him. '_This is going to hurt_….' he thought dourly. Naruto rammed him in the lower back like a charging bull from behind at the exact same time Sakura hit him in the face like a speeding train….

Kakashi came around and he felt he was being carried. He heard Sakura's voice in the distance. "….I really thought he'd twist or body flicker out of the way Naruto. Do you have that baggy?"

Then Kakashi heard Naruto's voice much closer. "I've got the baggy; I'm just concerned we missed picking up some of his teeth. We're almost to the hospital."

'_Oh, boy_…." thought Kakashi. '_Sounds like they got me pretty bad_….'

"Well, he did say to come with the intent to kill." said Naruto. "On the positive side we finally got to see what's hiding under the mask. It ain't pretty." Naruto snorted.

Kakashi heard Sakura stifle a chuckle. "Kakashi-sensei has two black eyes, a busted nose and is missing half his teeth. Of course it isn't pretty." Kakashi resigned himself to blacking out again at that point. Fighting to stay conscious just to hear his former students make fun of the fact they'd rearranged his face was _not_ something he wanted to do….

**Naruto and Illyana's apartment**

Illyana answered the door only to find that instead of the bed being delivered it was their neighbor Mitarashi Anko. "Hello, Illyana-chan!" exclaimed Anko. "May I come in? I have a proposition for you."

The blonde girl was a bit puzzled but didn't sense any hostility from the jonin so she invited her in. "I wasn't expecting company. I was just making myself a sandwich for lunch. Would you like one or have you eaten?"

"Sure." answered Anko. "I am a bit hungry, what's on the menu?"

Illyana smiled evilly. "_Fluffy_ is. We've got plenty of leftovers from dinner last night."

At first Anko blanched but then said, "….So, ummm….how was he?"

"Pretty good actually." answered the blond sorceress. "I never thought I'd like snake but Naruto cooked Fluffy up real good. Nice and tender too."

Anko shrugged. "So what the hell; I'll give a Fluffy sandwich a try." Anko soon had a sandwich and some bottled water in front of her. Making one final toast to Fluffy; Anko chowed down and found that Naruto's anaconda recipe _was_ really good after all.

"So what was it you wanted to discuss?" asked Illyana as she polished off her sandwich.

"Well, first I want to saw how cruel and inhumane it is of you to feed an _innocent_ girl her own beloved pet." said Anko in a pontificating tone. "Secondly, I want to say how much I _totally_ approve. I think the only way you could have made it better would have been to let me eat half the sandwich and _then_ tell me it was Fluffy."

Illyana raised an eyebrow at the eccentric kunoichi and wondered why the woman was lavishing praise upon her for feeding her own pet snake to her.

Anko continued, "Now, as to my proposal. I have talked to the Hokage and received her approval if you agree to this. You need a jonin sensei to become a kunoichi and join the shinobi forces. I am willing to become your jonin sensei. I want you to become my apprentice."

Illyana was surprised. "Well, it's not that I don't appreciate that but I have to ask _why me?_ I don't know if I can even use chakra."

"I like the look in your eyes girl." said Anko. "There's some serious steel there and I think I can forge you into one hell of a kunoichi. I won't lie to you though. I'll work you hard enough to make you beg for mercy and then work you some more. What do you say? Feel up to the challenge?" Anko asked with a sadistic smile.

Illyana pondered for a moment and then showed a vicious smile of her own. "I hope _you're_ up to it Anko-_sensei_." They shook hands.

Anko was ecstatic. "This will be awesome!" she exclaimed. "All we need to do is go see Hokage-sama and make it official with her then. Let's go!"

Illyana said. "Sorry but I've got to wait for the new bed to delivered. After they get it set up we can go."

Anko deflated for a moment but then perked back up. "Well, I can hang out for a bit. Let's get some paper and we can start working on your training regime….By the way, do you know the _Way of Tea?_"

**Konoha Hospital**

Kakashi came around to consciousness again and found a light being shined in his eyes. His left eye was swollen shut but his right eye was still able to partially open. The light moved out of the way and he saw Shizune's face looking at him concerned. "Are you alive in there Kakashi? You look conscious but I need to know if you are coherent."

"Mah fathe hoit." (My face hurts). he slurred out. "Hah bath izzit?" (How bad is it?)

Only years of dealing with patients who couldn't speak well with all kinds of ailments and injuries enabled Shizune to decrypt what Kakashi was saying. "Well, you have a major concussion; your left eye socket is ruptured and you mouth is missing eighteen of your thirty-two teeth. As-"

Kakashi asked "Ded tha fyn al mah teth?" (Did they find all my teeth?)

Shizune nodded. "Yes they did but it took them awhile. One of your incisors was lodged in a nearby tree several feet away. Do you want to know the rest of the damage?"

"Mebbe lader." (Maybe later). Kakashi lulled out.

He saw Lady Tsunade come into view. "Well Kakashi it looks like you're going to be out of commission for a few weeks at least. You look like a jigsaw puzzle that someone tried to put back together wrong with missing pieces. I can't believe you were that sloppy."

Kakashi had a massive sweat drop. '_I've met gravediggers with a better beside manner!_'

Tsunade asked. "On that note, do you think the kids passed your bell test?" Tsunade held up the bells and he saw one was crushed and the other dented. They didn't jingle anymore either.

Kakashi just gave a very wobbly thumbs-up and tried to eye smile (which was incredibly painful as it turned out).

The Hokage nodded. "Good. If Naruto hadn't pulled his punch at the last second you'd have been ripped in half instead of just in traction. Shizune's going to sedate you now so rest."

'….**_Just_**_ in traction?!_' was Kakashi's last thought before he blacked out again.

_Meanwhile_….

Sakura and Naruto had brought Kakashi into the Emergency Room about three hours ago and Shizune had taken over. Sakura offered to help but Tsunade wanted a verbal report from Naruto and Sakura first. After that Tsunade said she would check in on Kakashi personally but assured Sakura that she had great faith in Sakura's prognosis being correct and that Kakashi would make a full recovery. The respective chunin and genin then had to fill out the exhaustive after action reports so they could be reviewed and approved by the Hokage later. "After you finish your reports the two of you take a long lunch and report back to me at three o'clock." Tsunade had said before she sent the pair off. Lady Tsunade figured they'd both be buzzing around her like annoying flies asking about Kakashi's situation if she didn't keep them occupied and between those ridiculously complex reports and lunch they should stay out of her hair.

When they finished their reports Naruto was going to go home for lunch and see Illyana but the situation inevitably led to Sakura wheedling, cajoling and finally insisting they go to lunch to 'discuss their reports' together at the Dango Shop.

**The Dango Shop**

Being in a village of ninjas meant there were many secrets kept from the public, especially if it pertained to a high ranking, elite jonin ninja being laid up in the hospital by his two former students. Also being in a village full of ninjas meant no secret was safe for more than ten seconds and the play by play of Kakashi's untimely demise was being broadcast in a number of wild (and some downright disturbing) ways. Being the gossip queen she was Ino so far had catalogued at least twenty three different versions of the story some of which bordered on out and out lunacy. Her favorite so far was the rumor that Sakura and Naruto had been secretly plotting their vengeance since their first meeting with Kakashi at the Academy after he showed up three hours late in their pre-genin days and had finally enacted their 'evil' plan….

Choji, Ino, and Asuma were headed towards the Dango Shop because the big Akimichi chunin had a sweet tooth today. Ino was mentally cataloging more rumors and Asuma was convinced that if Ino decided to retire from being a kunoichi she probably could make a fortune as an information dealer (Not that he would ever say it aloud. The whole idea struck terror into his veins). As they walked along Ino said, "Well, speak of the devil. Here comes forehead and Naruto now." She called out to them, "Sakura, Naruto; over here!" Sakura was a tad irritated at Ino interrupting her _alone time_ with Naruto but saw Asuma and Choji were there too.

The group said their greetings and Naruto was particularly happy to see Choji. As they visited Ino was enjoying the nice view of Naruto up close. She licked her lips. '_He looks good enough to eat….I wonder just how tight him and his girlfriend really are?_'

Sakura _wasn't_ happy seeing Ino eye-humping Naruto. "You're drooling Ino-pig!" hissed Sakura under her breath.

"You're no better billboard brow." Ino whispered back. "You were practically hanging all over him!"

The girls were starting to glare at each other when Asuma said, "Well, since we're all here for dango let's go in and eat."

"I'm all for that!" exclaimed Choji.

Naruto smiled and said, "Sure, let's catch up over lunch and chat a while." He didn't notice Ino smiling evilly with a gleam in her eye behind him as she rubbed her hands together. His danger alarms rang in his head though and he turned around to see Ino smiling sunnily at him.

Ino said, "Yes, it's been such a long time Naruto. Let's all eat together!" '_Information gathering mode: activate!_'

Naruto noted that Sakura was glaring daggers at Ino and wondered '_What are those two fighting about now?_' Then he decided he was better off not knowing.

_An hour later_….

"Damn…." said Asuma as he lit up an after lunch cigarette. "Kakashi getting caught in a genjutsu and then getting caught in a point blank pincer like that….sucks to be him."

Naruto explained. "We _really_ thought he'd body flicker out. It kind of shocked us when we _both_ made contact. I was able to redirect my strike somewhat away from him at the last second but Sakura was fully airborne so there was no way she could do the same."

Ino was a bit floored. "You've become _really_ strong Naruto. Most of the rumors going around said the two of you really wrecked him but I never dreamed it was _that_ true."

"Remind me to never make you two mad at me." said Choji a bit flabbergasted.

"We just hope he's okay." said Sakura glumly. "I was going to help but Lady Tsunade said she'd take care of it."

"I'm sure Kakashi will be fine." reassured Asuma. "Besides, think of all the great blackmail material you guys will be able to rub in later. Come to think of it, I'll have to stop in and visit him later with my camera. A few snapshots for my picture album….Ah, good times." That drew a chuckle from everyone.

Naruto stood up. "Well, it's getting close to three so Sakura and I have to go and report in to the Hokage. We'll see you all later."

"See you later Naruto!" said Ino enthusiastically. When Sakura and Naruto left the Dango Shop she said to Choji, "Naruto; he seems so grown up and powerful. I never thought he'd be this way."

Choji nodded. "He acts more like a jonin. Shikamaru said he'd matured a lot but he was always such a prankster that I found it a bit hard to swallow."

"Naruto had it truly rough in his childhood." said Asuma. _Ino winced_. "He probably had to grow up really quickly on the road with Jiraiya-sama. I'll bet training with one of the sannin is tough."

Ino and Choji nodded quietly in agreement.

**At the Hokage Tower**

"Gee, I feel kind of bad about crushing these bells." said Naruto forlornly as he shook the deformed, non-jingling bells.

"I feel worse about crushing Kakashi-sensei than the bells Naruto." said Sakura in an equally depressed voice.

Tsunade tapped on her desk to draw their attention. "He only has himself to blame for getting injured. You two displayed excellent teamwork from your reports and he _did_ tell you to come at him with the intent to kill. It seems to me he underestimated you both very badly and paid for it. Uzumaki Naruto, as your Hokage I am officially field promoting you to chunin*. It's painfully obvious to me that you are at that level. For you and Sakura together to have inflicted that much damage to someone of Kakashi's caliber you are both _at least_ chunins. Besides, your perverted sensei Jiraiya recommended it upon your return anyway." She pulled out a chunin's vest and handed it to him. Tsunade smiled and said, "Congratulations Chunin Uzumaki!"

"Congratulations Naruto!" said Sakura happily.

Naruto smiled and wiped a tear from his eye. "Thank you Tsunade baa-chan. This means so much to me." '_I can't wait to tell Illyana-chan!_'

"We should go out and celebrate!" said Sakura enthusiastically. "It isn't every day you make chunin."

Naruto shook his head and said, "Thanks Sakura but I really should be getting home. I need to see Illyana-chan and tell her the good news."

Sakura deflated but acted happy for him and Tsunade dismissed him. With that, Naruto vanished in a body flicker. "A ryo for your thoughts Sakura-chan?" asked Tsunade.

"I was just hoping we could go out and celebrate together….Lady Tsunade." said Sakura in a depressed tone. "Naruto has become truly amazing while he was gone."

Tsunade heard the longing in the girl's voice and wondered how things had come full circle like this. She remembered how Naruto talked about how wonderful '_Sakura-chan'_ was when he first brought Tsunade back to become the Fifth Hokage. At the time Sakura totally ignored Naruto. Now it seemed the pink haired kunoichi longed for him. '_Life moves in strange ways_.' thought Tsunade. "He is very close to his girlfriend Sakura. He probably wanted to celebrate with her and have dinner out tonight or something."

**Naruto and Illyana's apartment**

Naruto had told Illyana the happy news and they were planning to go out. Illyana also told him she was now an official genin apprentice under Mitarashi Anko. Apparently she and Anko had signed the official forms and left just before Naruto and Sakura came in. Illyana was surprised to hear Kakashi was laid up in the hospital but figured it was karma for reading Ero-sennin's book about them. (Coincidentally that particular copy that Kakashi had vanished somewhere in the forest due to a wind jutsu that reduced it to confetti while Kakashi was out).

Naruto came out of the shower all clean and realized he'd left his nice clothes in the bedroom. He came out only to find Illyana lying on the new bed on her side in her black and orange sleeping yukata exposing _a lot_ of cleavage. "….What do you say we skip going out and celebrate in our nice new bed Naruto-kun? We're both already dressed for the occasion….Why don't you come over here…?" Illyana asked in a sultry tone.

Naruto came over to the bed with his erection bulging under the towel around his waist and Illyana rolled over on her stomach to face him. "Time to reward my man for becoming a big, strong chunin so soon." she said as she hooked her finger in his towel that loosened it and caused it to fall to the floor. She then grabbed his shaft with her delicate fingers and started working magic with her tongue. Naruto hissed as she teased him and then pulled him into her hot, wet mouth. She worked her way up about two-thirds of the way in before she'd back of and start the long, slow process over. After ten minutes she smiled as he moaned and he finally released in her mouth. "That's my good boy." she said as she licked her lips and kissed the tip of his manhood with a smile.

Naruto lowered himself to his knees to recover from the intense orgasm he'd just experienced. After breathing heavily for a few moments he said, "Sit up my hime." As she did he maneuvered her so she was sitting on the edge of the bed facing him. He gently undid her yukata the rest of the way and spread her legs with his hands so he could feast upon her. He said, "My turn…." before he dove in and started eating her. Before long she was grinding her teeth as Naruto pleased her. By this point she'd thrown her legs up onto his shoulders. Her eyes bled yellow as she threw her head back and let out a groan of ecstasy when she climaxed.

Illyana lay back breathlessly on her elbows and smiled as she saw Naruto's eyes were glowing red in lust for her. She tossed her yukata off the bed and shimmied up so her head was lying on the pillows. She beckoned him in a lustful voice, "Come to me my love. Shoot your all heat inside my body." Naruto silently crept up on top of her and she let out a soft moan as he gently buried himself in her to the hilt. He clasped his hands with hers on either side of her head and they interlaced their fingers before he started slowly thrusting into her.

Naruto lowered himself down as he made passionate love to Illyana and put his face nose to nose with hers as they stared into each other's eyes in a lust filled haze. Illyana gasped as Naruto's thrusting grew faster and faster and she started matching his strokes as their eyes stayed locked onto another's. Before long she could feel both their hearts hammering as they both panted like animals in heat. The intensity grew and grew as she gripped his face so their eyes would remain locked as he pushed into her further and further with wild abandon. Finally after fifteen minutes they felt the bliss of climaxing at the same time. They let out a noise together that was music to their ears.

Illyana wrapped her legs tightly around Naruto as she said panting, "Don't….pull out, I want you in me."

Naruto kissed her hotly and said, "I love the sounds you make Illyana-chan. I love you."

It was only the beginning of the pleasure they spent all night giving to each other….

_The next morning_….

Illyana woke up facing Naruto on her side. Naruto was fast asleep still with his arms around her narrow waist and his face buried in her bosom. For her part Illyana had her arms wrapped around his head and shoulders and she very gently started running her fingers through his spiky hair. She didn't pay much attention as to how long they laid there. Her mind was full of images of all the incredible lovemaking last night. She was brought out of her thoughts when Naruto started to stir and wake up. He finally looked up at her and found she was smiling happily at him. Her hair was all disheveled and her eyes were bright and content.

"Good morning my hime." said Naruto he moved himself up and they shared a long, passionate kiss.

After they came up for air Illyana said, "You were amazing last night, I love you Naruto-kun. I love looking into your eyes when we make love."

He smiled and kissed her again. "You were amazing too Illyana-chan."

The two laid there for some time talking quietly and basking in each other's warmth and the sweet afterglow from the night before.

_Later that morning_….

After a nice breakfast the two discussed their plans for the day. Anko was currently down at Torture and Interrogation and she and Illyana were to start her formal training starting Monday. Naruto was in the unfortunate situation that his team leader was in the hospital. He briefly considered picking up an easy mission given he was a chunin now but decided to spend the weekend at home with Illyana instead. She had a shopping list of equipment to get from Anko. The eccentric snake loving jonin wasn't one hundred percent sure but she believed that Illyana might be very suited to the snake style. Illyana's build, proportions and flexibility seemed to be very similar to Anko's own.

_Elsewhere_….

"They've put her under Mitarashi?! What is Tsunade thinking?" growled Danzo. He turned to his two ROOT informants. "Continue to discreetly observe her and the Kyūbi container. I want any details we can glean about when her apprenticeship starts. We may need to act before Orochimaru's former pupil gets involved even more."

Danzo's two subordinates vanished leaving the man to think alone. '_I know she impressed Maito Gai with her fighting abilities but I wonder what drew Mitarashi Anko's attention to her….?_'

Two words: _Fluffy sandwiches_.

_That afternoon_….

Naruto was walking arm in arm with Illyana after they'd purchased the training gear that Anko specified. Anko was generous enough to pay for it and sent them with the money to get it at Tenten's shop. Naruto had sealed up all the various training weights and other gear up in a scroll when he heard someone greet him that he didn't recognize wearing a hood.

"Just because we haven't seen each other in a long time doesn't mean you shouldn't recognize the face of a comrade….It's hurtful for the one who calls you." said the hooded person.

Naruto pondered a moment and said, "That weirdo speech style. You're Shino!"

"….You got it at last." said Shino.

"How is anyone supposed to recognize you when you keep your face hidden _idiot?!_" asked Naruto grumpily. Illyana let out a giggle at her boyfriend's antics.

About that time a _massive_ dog landed with a rider on its back. "Kiba, is that you?!" asked Naruto.

Kiba exclaimed "Yeah! I was sure it was you Naruto, I recognized your scent!" Then he added quietly, "But it's mixed with someone else's too…."

Naruto pointed at the dog, "That dog….is it Akamaru?"

Akamaru barked in greeting. "Of course it's Akamaru!" answered Kiba.

Naruto stood there wide eyed and said, "He's gotten really big!"

While Naruto and the others were talking Illyana sensed they were being watched and slipped back around the corner to find a blushing and trembling Hyūga Hinata.

Hinata panted to herself, "Naruto-kun…." '_What should I say to him? It's been almost three years and I'm not ready_.'

Illyana looked oddly at the blushing Hyūga girl and said, "Excuse me but are you okay? You don't look well. Are you a friend of Naruto-kun's? I heard you say his name."

Hinata looked up surprised at Illyana and wondered who she was. '_She's really beautiful; is she a foreigner?_' Hinata said, "I'm one of Naruto's f-friends, we went to the academy together. My name is Hyūga Hinata."

"I'm Illyana Rasputin." said the blond sorceress. "It's nice to meet you."

Hinata smiled slightly. "It's nice to meet you t-"

Naruto's head popped around the corner. "So this is where you ran off to Illyana-chan! Hey it's Hinata!"

Hinata got a wide eyed look and started feeling faint. Naruto turned to Illyana. "Illyana-chan, Hinata here is a great cook! Her food is delicious! Hinata, this is my beautiful girlfriend Illyana-chan. Would you be willing to teach us how to do some cooking over at our place sometime?" he asked happily.

The Hyūga heiress was standing there wide eye with tears forming. "G-girlfriend? Y-you're _living_ together?!" Hinata started to hyperventilate. '_No, no; **please** no! It **can't** be true!_'

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, Illyana-chan moved back here with me after my training trip. We're really happy, I-" He stopped when Hinata let out a terrible cry of absolute sorrow. Naruto's eyes grew wide. "Hinata, are you okay?!" he asked in both shock and concern.

Hinata's whole world was imploding before her eyes. She looked up and saw the very concerned eyes of the others looking at her, especially Naruto's. She completely burst into tears and let out a heartbroken, "_Nooooooo!_" Seeing her friend's shock at her actions she body flickered away to mourn her loss of her chance with Naruto-kun, the young man she loved with all her heart….

"What just happened?" asked Naruto in horror. "We have to go after her!"

He felt his shoulder gently gripped by Kiba who said without any malice, "Hinata loves you man, she has for years…."

"S-she has?! I need to find her and talk to her!" babbled Naruto upset. "Maybe I should-"

"Calm down Naruto." said Shino. "I know you mean well but if she's this upset your presence will only make matters worse. You didn't know and didn't mean to hurt her. We're her teammates. We'll find her and take her to Kurenai-sensei. Trust me; it's best this way."

Illyana hugged Naruto's free arm to herself. "Naruto-kun, let's go home where we can talk. I know you're upset right now but your friends are right. It would only upset her more if you got involved right now. Let her calm down and maybe you can talk to her then."

Naruto nodded sadly to Illyana and then turned to the others. "Kiba, Shino; please tell her how sorry I am I hurt her. I….I never knew how she felt."

"We'll do that Naruto." said Kiba solemnly. With that Kiba and Shino left to find both their sensei and their wayward kunoichi teammate….They figured if anyone could sort this out it would be Kurenai-sensei. After all, she was as close to a Mother as Hinata had….

POSTSCRIPT:

*I never figured out why Naruto wasn't promoted other than Kishimoto wanting to keep the "dead last" image intact. Maybe I'm being premature but after the Rescue the Kazekage Arc it seems to me this should have happened regardless. Just my take on it though.

Well, the inevitable truth that Naruto is taken has sent Hinata into a spiral of despair. How is Kurenai going to sort this one out? What of "Team Kakashi?" Kakashi's in no condition to do anything let alone lead missions. Next chapter we'll see some more intrigues around Konoha and the return of a certain super-pervert. Blue out. 1/7/15


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter 6_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the X-Men

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: _

This chapter was a pain to write. While there are important differences it is more or less a condensed rehash of the "Rescue the Kazekage" Arc. Several of the battles are just overviews and summaries. For the most part it spans manga chapters 247 through 281 if you want to read a play by play. I'm not going to waste time rewriting all that word for word. I think I'd lose what little sanity I have left….Here's chapter 6:

Last Time:

_"….Hinata loves you man, she has for years…."_

_"S-she has?! I need to find her and talk to her!" babbled Naruto upset. "Maybe I should-"_

_"Calm down Naruto." said Shino. "I know you mean well but if she's this upset your presence will only make matters worse. You didn't know and didn't mean to hurt her. We're her teammates. We'll find her and take her to Kurenai-sensei. Trust me; it's best this way."_

_Illyana hugged Naruto's free arm to herself. "Naruto-kun, let's go home where we can talk. I know you're upset right now but your friends are right. It would only upset her more if you got involved right now. Let her calm down and maybe you can talk to her then."_

_Naruto nodded sadly to Illyana and then turned to the others. "Kiba, Shino; please tell her how sorry I am I hurt her. I….I never knew how she felt."_

_"We'll do that Naruto." said Kiba solemnly. With that Kiba and Shino left to find both their sensei and their wayward kunoichi teammate….They figured if anyone could sort this out it would be Kurenai-sensei. After all, she was as close to a Mother as Hinata had…._

**The Village of Konoha**

Naruto was in his apartment with Illyana. He'd been badly shaken up by Hinata's breakdown and was worried about her. "What should I do Illyana-chan? Hinata was always kind to me but I really had no idea she even liked me let alone loved me. She is my friend and I've hurt her badly."

Illyana sighed. '_Naruto-kun is too sweet and caring for his own good_.' "Naruto-kun, you didn't know. I could tell she was terribly upset and I feel bad for her too but right now she's going to need a few days to pull herself together. Give her some time and then the two of you can sit down and talk. If she's as kind as you say she is you'll still be friends after this is over. I'm no expert on broken hearts but it's something that's going to take a while. Just remember to be gentle with her. Eventually this will all work itself out."

"I hope so Illyana-chan." Naruto pulled her into a hug. "I'm so glad I have you to take care of me."

Illyana smiled softly and returned his hug. "Just relax Naruto-kun. Tell you what. I have to go see Anko sensei so I can get her to check my new equipment. After that why don't we go to Ichirakus and have some ramen? Do you feel like getting out?"

"Not really Illyana-chan. I feel like staying inside for now." said Naruto glumly. "You really should see your sensei though."

"Alright; you cool off here and I'll pick up some ramen take-out on the way home." said Illyana. "How does that sound?"

Naruto seemed to relax a little. "That would be great Illyana-chan. You're the best!"

Illyana smiled and kissed her boyfriend goodbye before she headed out to meet Anko.

**The Dango Shop  
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At the Dango Shop, Anko was on lunch and was checking her protégé's new equipment and nodded in approval. "Excellent. All your training gear fits perfectly. Now let's-" They heard a jaunty tune being whistled nearby and Anko said, "Oh, looks like Jiraiya-sama is back in town."

"Hello, ladies." said Jiraiya jovially. "How are you doing this fine day?"

Anko was nearly bowled over by the killing intent coming off her apprentice whose eyes were now blazing yellow. Illyana summoned her war axe in the blink of an eye as she roared "**_PEERRVVEERRTT!_**" and launched herself at the unsuspecting Jiraiya. Only decades of experience enabled Jiraiya to avoid being decapitated by the war axe and the vicious follow up knee to the groin. "**_Stay still and die!_**" growled Illyana as her axe grew closer and closer to Jiraiya with every swing.

Finally Jiraiya leaped out on to the street running with Illyana hot on his heels. Illyana was screaming for his blood and Jiraiya was just plain screaming. Anko thought this would be an excellent opportunity to see her student in action and decided to trail them while stifling the laughter threatening to explode out of her. Truthfully she didn't want to see Jiraiya-sama dead (she'd read his mega seller he just wrote at the recommendation of the book newsletter she subscribed to –It was a crossover hit. Seriously steamy and kinky stuff). On the other hand she wondered what set her cute little blonde student off and wouldn't mind seeing Jiraiya-sama thrashed a bit for his perverse ways.

_Twenty minutes later_….

Jiraiya ran into Tsunade's office looking like he'd lost a fight with a pack of rabid Inuzuka dogs. Scratch marks, bruises, bleeding….his left hand had a serious bite mark on it and he had the beginnings of a lovely black eye. He zipped behind Tsunade at mach speed almost bowling over Shizune in the process. "Tsunade-hime! _Protect meeee!_" He wailed piteously.

Tsunade heard a knock on her door and asked who it was. "Special Jonin Mitarashi Anko and her apprentice reporting."

Jiraiya was waving his hands wildly. "_Don't let them in!_" he whispered in terror.

Tsunade was somewhere between amused and annoyed. Deciding Jiraiya probably deserved whatever was coming she motioned for Shizune to open the door.

In walked Anko looking fresh as a daisy smiling widely along with Illyana who was dripping with sweat and rather dirty. Illyana held out her war axe and pointed it at Jiraiya as she smiled savagely. "There's no escaped now Ero-sennin! Your privates have an appointment with my axe. Don't worry, you won't die….you just won't be male any longer!" Anko was still smiling as she closed the door behind them.

As much as Tsunade enjoyed seeing Jiraiya terrified enough to piss himself; she said authoritatively, "Genin Illyana Rasputin! You have assaulted a superior officer in the ninja corps and could be brought up on charges. I thought you were more level headed than this. Explain yourself _now!_" Truthfully she figured Jiraiya peeped on her in the hot springs and was going to give Illyana a slap on the wrist even though it _was_ attempted murder.

Illyana lowered her axe as her eyes faded back to blue and she said resolutely, "My actions are _totally_ justified! After what he did paying with his manhood is an entirely appropriate punishment."

This surprised Tsunade. Not only did the girl not back down in the face of the Hokage; she coolly insisted that she was in the right. Tsunade was considering enrolling Illyana in some debate and diplomacy courses. With the right kind of encouragement and polishing the girl would be a superb negotiator in the ninja corps. "Please explain why you feel your actions are justified genin Illyana."

Illyana blushed madly but brought herself back under control. "Is this room soundproofed?" she asked.

"Yessss, I'm waiting for your explanation." said Tsunade impatiently.

Illyana fidgeted and then she just said it upfront. "Ero-sennin's book, _Icha Icha: The Soldier and the Sorceress_ is based entirely on his observing Naruto-kun and I having private moments in the two months we stayed on Mount Myōboku."

Tsunade gasped. Shizune blushed and Anko's eyebrows nearly hit the ceiling. Anko said, "_Everything_ in that book?"

Illyana nodded fervently. "_Everything!_ He even used our names and physical descriptions!"

The four ANBU in the room appeared as they were too shocked to maintain their concealment. One obvious was trying to stop a nosebleed behind his mask and the other three weren't doing much better, Illyana recognized ANBU Cat and could tell the woman was gawking at her.

"Y-you mean you're Yana and Naruto is Ruto?!" asked Shizune.

Tsunade had a vein throbbing in her forehead. "You've read his garbage?!" she asked Shizune.

"In my defense it was a highly recommended as a crossover hit in the _Kunoichi's Journal Book Newsletter_ I subscribe to." said Shizune blushing.

"That's the same newsletter I read." said ANBU Cat in amazement.

Anko asked. "Is he _really_ that hung?" Tsunade, Illyana and Shizune all nodded. Anko's had stars in her eyes. "Have you considered renting him out? He could make you _lots_ of money."

Illyana clubbed Anko over the head with her fist. "_I'm his girlfriend, not his pimp!_" she yelled blushing madly. "Anyway, he used our names! If that isn't proof enough as it is I don't know what is."

"But I changed your hair color and eye color!" pleaded Jiraiya. "You two are a gold mine! Do you know how much blood I lost through my nose recording those incredible sex scenes for posterity? Seriously, I could have died of blood loss from that little tryst you had in the hot springs."

"Which one are you referring to?" asked Anko.

"Several actually, but the one that-" started Jiraiya.

"Shut up Ero-sennin!" screeched Illyana. "As you can see Lady Hokage; I am unequivocally within my rights to castrate him."

When it was all said and done Tsunade agreed that castrating Jiraiya probably _was_ justified but she still couldn't allow it. Informing Illyana of this the young sorceress said. "You've escaped my wrath for today Ero-sennin but mark my words there _will_ be a reckoning for you between Naruto-kun and I." With that Illyana and Anko were dismissed.

"You know you're going to get killed over this Jiraiya." said Tsunade in a disapproving tone.

Jiraiya sighed. He was at a loss. "Tsunade-hime, I really didn't have any idea they'd figure it out. When a writer sees something _that_ inspiring he _has_ to write about it."

"This is going to cause a serious rift between you and your apprentice." she said.

"Believe me I know Tsunade; I know…." said the Toad sage. "But on the positive side _The Soldier and the Sorceress_ is the biggest blockbuster ever! It's drawn in a whole new audience!" laughed Jiraiya perversely.

**The Konoha Aviary**

A fast messenger eagle arrived from Suna with a coded message. After it was decoded the message was brought before Tsunade. "The Kazekage has been captured by the Akatsuki!" exclaimed the messenger.

Tsunade read the message carefully. Team Kakashi was the best option she had currently. "Jiraiya, since Team Kakashi is without a leader I need you to lead this mission personally."

"It seems the Akatsuki are finally making their move." said Jiraiya in a grim tone.

Tsunade nodded. "Just keep those kids safe Jiraiya. They've both grown incredibly strong but this mission is S ranked."

"Leave it to me." said the Toad Sage. "When another team becomes available send them after us." With that Jiraiya left to prepare.

"Damn…." muttered Tsunade. She turned to Shizune. "Summon Sakura and Naruto. I want them here yesterday."

Within twenty minutes both Sakura and Naruto were standing before Tsunade. "….And that is the situation. As allies of Suna we must help them but I know you would help Gaara regardless Naruto." Naruto nodded glad that Tsunade understood. "Your team leader is going to be Jiraiya and I know you have very _personal_ issues with him Naruto but for now be professional and set your differences aside. Gaara's life depends on it."

"I'll give it my all, Tsunade-sama." said Naruto with a salute.

Tsunade sighed. "Get your things together and report to the front gates within the hour." Naruto and Sakura nodded and body flickered away to pack for a trip to Suna.

Naruto appeared at the apartment and found out about Illyana's valiant attempts to slay Jiraiya. He laughed and told her everything would be alright and they'd get the pervert back later. For the moment Naruto had to mentally shelve the issues with Hinata until he got back. The two lovers shared a passionate kiss goodbye and Illyana decided to rest a while. It had been a long day. She just wished Naruto didn't have to leave so soon….

**An hour later at the front gates**….

"We're off Lady Tsunade." said Sakura with a salute.

"Do your best." was Tsunade's reply as she watched the team take off.

As they raced through the forests towards Suna they spotted Temari who was headed that way herself. She joined them immediately having already had a bad premonition. On the way Sakura noticed Naruto was rushing too fast but eventually Naruto revealed that he and Gaara were the same because he contained the Kyūbi. Naruto was determined to save Gaara no matter what.

**Two days later at the Village of Suna**

The Jonin Baki was temporarily in charge. Gaara was captured and Kankurō was dying of poison from his duel with Sasori. Baki had gone so far as to call in the Honored Siblings but Elder Chiyo claimed she was unable to save Kankurō from this poison and only Tsunade probably could. By the time Temari and the Konoha Team arrived they estimated Kankurō had less than a day left to live.

"Let me examine him!" said Sakura as she came into the room where Kankurō was bedridden. She quickly used the Delicate Illness Extraction technique and soon the poison was out of Kankurō's body and in her hands. "Got it! I don't think there's any reason to worry about his life anymore since I've extracted the poison."

Temari sighed with relief that Kankurō would be okay.

Sakura continued. "We can't relax yet. We need to formulate an antidote to counter what little poison is left in his body." As Sakura took charge both Naruto and Jiraiya were seriously impressed. She really _had_ taken after Tsunade.

Elder Chiyo commented, "You're a lot like that slug woman…."

Sakura smiled "Yes, it's because my Master is Tsunade-sama and she said I should come here."

….

Naruto was pacing the floor waiting so they could pursue the Akatsuki while Chiyo assisted Sakura in the preparation of an antidote for Kankurō. Jiraiya was talking to Baki. "So Kankurō went out after them alone and there's no trail? What were you _thinking_ man?"

Baki sighed in response. "We can take you to where we found Kankurō. Maybe we can pick up a trail from there."

"That won't be necessary." said Kankurō weakly. Everyone turned to him. "There were two enemies….one has Gaara so follow Gaara's scent and Sasori caught a bit of his clothing on my puppet Karasu's hand. Even if they split up you should be able to track them both." Jiraiya nodded now that they had a trail to follow.

Chiyo asked, "Kankuro, are you absolutely sure that one of the two that you were following was Sasori?"

Kankurō answered, "It was Sasori of the Red Sands; he said so himself." The Honored Siblings departed thereafter and Jiraiya's team got ready to leave as well. Kankurō said, "Uzumaki Naruto, please save my brother."

Naruto smiled and said, "Leave it to me." before they headed out.

At the Suna Village gates they were met by elder Chiyo who said, "I'll be joining you. I've wanted to give my cute grandson Sasori some love for a while now."

**Later in the forests of Konoha**….

Team Gai was rushing towards Suna only to be intercepted by a messenger toad. "Are you guys here to back up Jiraiya and Naruto?"

"Yes, I am Maito Gai and this is my team." answered Gai flamboyantly.

The messenger toad nodded. "We have discovered that they are in River Country between Konoha and Suna. I'll lead you to them."

Team Gai travelled rapidly towards their goal through River Country only to be intercepted by Kisame of the Akatsuki.

The fight was quick and extremely brutal. Gai had to resort to opening six of the eight gates to defeat Kisame only to find….it was an imposter.

**Elsewhere in River Country**….

Jiraiya's Team and Chiyo were likewise stopped by Uchiha Itachi. It was obvious by Itachi's methods that he was fighting a delaying action but Jiraiya couldn't figure out why he'd be so willing to sacrifice himself. In the end it was Naruto who caught Itachi with an oodama rasengan that defeated him….

"….So it wasn't Itachi at all but actually a Suna jonin ninja named Yuura?" asked Jiraiya as they examined the remains.

Chiyo and the other's wondered what kind of a jutsu could allow the late Yuura to impersonate Itachi to the degree of using Uchiha signature jutsus. It was a troubling puzzle that they didn't have time to solve. They still needed to race to Gaara. As they travelled it was Chiyo who pieced together that they were extracting the one-tail from Gaara. When the Elder explained that extracting a bijuu would kill the host Sakura broke into tears that these monstrous Akatsuki were after the containers of the tailed beasts…._like Naruto_. She was afraid for him.

"You're always being moved to tears Sakura." said Naruto. "I told you not to worry; we'll save Gaara."

Tears were streaming down Sakura's face. "Naruto, it's you I'm-"

Naruto simply said, "Come on, let's hurry." and set off again.

Sakura shook her head sadly and thought '…._Naruto_….'

**The Village of Konoha**

Illyana had been training hard and had the day off but couldn't get her mind off of Naruto. She decided to go see Anko-sensei. It had been a few days and the blonde sorceress was concerned about her boyfriend but he'd explained that everything was going to work out fine. '_Is it going to be like this every time he goes on a mission? Will I always worry?_' she wondered. Illyana knocked on Anko's door only to hear a loud crash and then a bunch of cursing coming from Anko.

Finally she heard Anko's snarling yell of "Who the **_hell_** is it?" through the door.

"It's your apprentice Illyana." said the blonde sorceress wondering if this was a bad idea.

Anko's voice suddenly became chipper and she said. "Oh, be right there Illyana-chan!" Illyana sweat dropped at her sensei's drastic mood change and now was _sure_ this was a bad idea. Anko answered the door wearing a white t-shirt and denim shots. She was a bit dirty. "How's my favorite apprentice today?" she asked happily.

For her part Illyana was surprised that Anko was wearing clothes that were so….normal. Then she said. "Am I interrupting something Anko sensei? I heard a crash."

"No, no. I was just cleaning around the apartment and dropped something." Anko said with a strained smile. She was sweating nervously.

Illyana face palmed. "Let me help you clean it up and you can tell me why you're so worried."

Anko looked surprised and let Illyana in. Usually people didn't want to come in her apartment due to fear of her reputation. Illyana was looking around for bear traps, viper's nests and pits full of spikes when she saw the place was very neat and tidy. It was decorated in a very traditional Japanese style. "This is a nice place you have here sensei; what was that crash?"

Anko pointed towards the kitchen in shame and Illyana walked in only to find what looked like a small garden had exploded. There was potting soil everywhere.

"What the **_hell _**happened in here sensei?" she asked the sheepish looking Anko.

Anko blushed a bit. "Well….I was taking care of Kurenai-chan's house plants when the shelves collapsed and destroyed them all!" said Anko with a sweat drop. "I kind of have a black thumb instead of a green thumb…."

Illyana picked through the dirt and found what was left of a (formerly) delicate fern among other things. "It looks like we'd better get a shop vacuum to clean this mess up. There isn't enough to qualify as mulch here."

"_What am I going to do?!_ The only plants I really know are herbs for making poisons!" whimpered Anko.

Illyana nearly face faulted. "How many plants were there?" Anko held up six fingers. "Let's find the remains of the six plants to identify and we'll take them to a flower shop or something. Were they in some special kind of planters?"

Anko shook her head. "No, they were just in those plain old orange-brown pots. Why?"

"We'd better buy some decorative planters to put them in as a way of apology." answered the blonde.

"Are you sure we can't just replace them and tell her they are the originals?" asked Anko.

Illyana got an '_Are you serious?'_ look on her face and said. "Is your friend Kurenai a ninja?"

Anko nodded. "Yeah, Nai-chan's a jonin sensei. We go all the way back to the academy together. The kunoichi on her team had some kind of breakdown so her mission got cancelled but I've still got the plants."

Illyana got a bad feeling and asked, "That kunoichi wouldn't happen to be named Hinata would she?"

"Yeah, do you know her?" asked the snake mistress.

"It's a long story." said the sorceress. "I'll explain while we pick out new plants."

**River Country**

Team Gai arrived at the cave the Akatsuki was using to extract Gaara's bijuu. They soon found it was protected by a barrier after Gai struck it. Within five minutes Jiraiya's group arrived. "It's a five point barrier Gai." said Jiraiya after a short examination. "There should be four other tags in the vicinity. We'll need to remove all the tags simultaneously to break the barrier."

Gai nodded. "Got it. Neji-kun, if you would please…?"

Neji quickly spotted the other tags with his byakugan and guided the members of team Gai to each of the four tags. Jiraiya was in position over the fifth tag and gave the order to pull them. The moment the barrier fell a trap was activated that kept team Gai from going back to help the others. They were now stuck in a jutsu that made them fight doppelgangers of themselves.

**With Jiraiya's group**

Sakura blew down the entrance to the cave and Jiraiya, Naruto, Chiyo and Sakura sped in. They found themselves facing off with Sasori and Deidara. Jiraiya said, "So you're Sasori of the Red Sands….who's this gender confused weirdo? If it wasn't for my incredible ability to sense a woman miles away….Well, I guess if cross dressing is your hobby; who am I to judge?"

"I'm Deidara and I'm a _GUY_ dammit! I'm _not_ a cross dresser, hmm!" screeched the younger Akatsuki member.

Saori wanted to face palm. "You idiot! That's Jiraiya of the sannin and he said that just to piss you off and reveal your identity!" Deidara's eyes widened comically in embarrassment.

Jiraiya took a more serious vibe now. "So you're Deidara the Mad Bomber from Iwa. This guy uses explosive clay sculptures to trick his enemies and destroy them. Be careful as anything he creates is explosive. As for Sasori here he's a puppet master extraordinaire. Probably everything he has is coated in poison so be careful."

Sasori groaned, "Great! _Just great!_ Gee Deidara, how did you get into the Akatsuki to begin with given your stupidity? My reputation precedes me but at least you _had_ a trump card!"

Deidara pouted. "There's no need to be mean Master Sasori. I had several good personal and professional references when I put in my application with Leader and the organization! Why I- _SHIT!_" Jiraiya moved faster than the eye could follow and sent Deidara flying with a brutal haymaker. Sasori reacted to block the strike but a swarm of kunai knives from Chiyo kept him occupied before he could counter.

Sasori said, "Leave the Kazekage with me and withdraw!"

Deidara didn't need to be told twice and fled on the back of his giant clay bird. Jiraiya ordered the others; "Naruto and Sakura pursue Deidara and kill him. Chiyo-sama and I will deal with Sasori."

Naruto wanted to help recover Gaara who was sitting behind Sasori out of reach but he relented and went after Deidara.

**With Chiyo and Jiraiya**….

This was a true battle of veteran ninjas. All of them had power and outstanding skill sets and had masses of experience to back them up. Chiyo and Sasori dueled with puppets and having fought puppet users before Jiriaya was an incredibly formidable opponent by Sasori's standards. His 'art' was truly being put to the test….

**With Sakura and Naruto**….

"He's obviously leading us away from the others Naruto. We'll wear ourselves out if we don't catch him soon." said Sakura. They were chasing after Deidara in a canyon and he was flying just high enough and just fast enough to stay out of their range.

Naruto glared at Deidara for a moment and then said, "Let's clip his wings then." Naruto unleashed a volley of wind blades as he used the Wind Cutter jutsu. Deidara felt the chakra coming and tried to evade but his clay bird was chopped to pieces. He landed roughly in the canyon. Since he was already missing an arm and was out of his explosive clay he felt the best thing to do was retreat since close combat was not his forte.

Unfortunately for Deidara his opponents had other plans and were closing in fast. He was caught in the jaw by Naruto which sent him flying and Sakura followed up with an earth shattering fist to his gut that sent him into the canyon wall so had it cratered. He saw a kunai with an explosive tag coming at him but managed to make a clay clone to body switch with.

Sakura looked at the explosion and said, "Did we get him?"

"No, I can still sense him Sakura." said Naruto. "He's still nearby." Naruto created several shadow clones to fan out and find Deidara who was watching at a distance with his eye scope.

'_Damn. The blonde one must be the jinchūriki to have enough chakra to create that many shadow clones_.' Deidara wiped the blood from his lip. '_How can that kunoichi hit that hard?_' While Deidara was pondering this he failed to notice a shadow clone behind him. He realized too late when a kunai severed his spine between his shoulder blades. "Fuck!" was all he screamed before he fell over on his stomach. He couldn't feel anything from his shoulders down. The Mad Bomber felt the clone roughly grab his remaining wrist which the clone broke in the process of dragging him over in front of Naruto and Sakura.

"I was wondering when you would drop in and join us. Did you really think you could hide from a sensor?" asked Naruto.

Sakura kicked Deidara over and quickly searched his body removing any and all weapons or items of interest. She examined Deidara's eye scope and said. "Interesting little item; I think I'll keep it."

Deidara said, "You won't get any information out of me no matter what you do."

He heard Naruto's voice behind him. "Who says we want information? Our orders are to kill you."

The last words Deidara heard before his head was cut off with a chakra enhanced kunai was "_Rot in hell you bastard_." from Sakura. She nodded at Naruto. "Let's seal his head and body up so we can do an autopsy when we get back to Konoha."

Naruto quickly pulled out a scroll and sealed the body. "Let's head back to Jiraiya and Chiyo. I doubt they need our help but you never know." With that the two chunin hurried back to the cave where the others were.

**The Akatsuki's cave**….

Naruto and Sakura found Jiraiya carrying Gaara's body out of the cave. Chiyo was following. Behind them were masses of broken puppets and parts scattered all over the place. It looked like a war zone. Jiraiya was cut up and had a broken arm but Chiyo looked relatively unhurt although exhausted. "Are you two alright Jiraiya-sama?" asked Sakura.

"We'll be alright but we're both poisoned and my left arm is busted. It was a hell of a fight. Sasori deserved the title of being S-ranked. We almost lost."

Naruto saw Team Gai arriving and looked at Gaara's unmoving form. Sakura had just finished administering the antidote to the poison in Jiraiya and came over to examine the Kazekage. After what seemed like days she sadly shook her head 'no.'

Naruto stood over Gaara and said, "Why was Gaara to die like this?" Tears flowed down Naruto's face. "He didn't just become Kazekage…."

"Relax….Uzumaki Naruto." Chiyo said tiredly.

Naruto lost his self control and yelled "Shut up! If you shinobi of Suna hadn't put a monster in Gaara nothing like this would have happened! Did any of you even try to ask Gaara how he felt?! Naruto finally broke down crying for his friend.

All of the others were struck speechless by Naruto's outpouring for his friend. Finally, Chiyo stood up and kneeled by Gaara's body and activate a jutsu. "I will bring him back." she said resolutely.

"Bring him back to life? Can you really do that?" asked Naruto.

Chiyo started to falter and said desperately, "….not enough chakra…." in sadness and shame.

"Can you use my chakra?" asked Naruto.

That was when Chiyo realized that Naruto cared about Gaara that much despite them being from different villages. She nodded and said, "Place your hands on top of mine." She mused aloud about the mistakes she made in the past but said, "Still, in my last moments I'll be able to set things right."

….

Gaara awoke and saw many shinobi from both Konoha and Suna standing around him. Most of all he saw Naruto. The blonde said happily, "Gaara, everyone came to save you!"

The group mourned the death of Chiyo-sama who gave her life to revive Gaara with her Tensei jutsu but rejoiced that their Kazekage was alive. Naruto helped Gaara up and Temari said, "You really are a mysterious person Naruto. You have the ability to change people. The Chiyo I knew never would have done this for Gaara."

….

On the way back to Suna Jiraiya revealed the news that Sasori told them 'as a reward for defeating him' that he had a spy in Orochimaru's forces that he was to meet at the Tenchi Bridge in ten days. The funeral for Chiyo would be held in three days.

**That evening in the Village of Suna**

"If we go to the Tenchi Bridge we could learn about the location of Orochimaru and possibly Sasuke-kun. This could be our chance to rescue him Naruto!" exclaimed Sakura excitedly.

"I don't know Sakura." replied Naruto. "Sasuke may not _want_ to be rescued. We'd be taking a big risk and without Ero-sennin god only knows who would be leading us. Kakashi-sensei is still in the hospital and forming a team with people unfamiliar to us on such a high profile mission could be disastrous. I don't want to take such a huge risk for potentially no rewards. Besides, why would Sasori 'reward' us with such information anyway? The guy was dying. It could all be an elaborate trap to get us killed to avenge himself."

"I thought you wanted to bring Sasuke-kun back Naruto." said Sakura confused. "You told me we'd bring him back. _Isn't he your best friend?!_"

Naruto sighed. He was hoping this conversation wouldn't come up for a _long_ time. He remembered the look on Illyana's face and the tears when she saw the scar on Naruto's chest all the way through to his back from the chidori. He remembered how horrified she was that he would even _consider_ Sasuke some kind of friend after nearly getting murdered by him –all for power. Naruto did a lot of soul searching after that and found he couldn't refute Illyana's logic….

"Sakura, Sasuke hurt you and tried to kill me before he left the village. His actions led to a lot of our good friends being hurt. Choji and Neji could have died." said Naruto solemnly.

"I can't believe you're saying this!" exclaimed Sakura. "You promised me we'd bring him back before it was too late!"

"We _will_ bring him back." said Naruto. "I _want_ to bring him back. I don't think he was in his right mind. But what has he been doing for three years? He has been training _willingly_ with one of the most corrupt beings in existence! I don't think Orochimaru even qualifies as _human_ and Sasuke has been learning from him! If Sasuke truly wanted to escape or be rescued don't you think he would have tried to contact us?"

Sakura was tearing up. "This is Orochimaru's fault, not Sasuke's!"

"I agree that it _is_ Orochimaru's fault!" exclaimed Naruto. "He corrupted our friend with that awful Cursed Seal. I plan to bring Sasuke back but it will be to face trial. If he truly can be saved then I'm all for him being rehabilitated but if you saw the _monstrous thing_ with gray skin and wings on its back that I fought then you would think twice too about him wanting to be rescued."

"What are you talking about –wings?!" she asked upset.

"I didn't tell you at the time because I knew it would hurt you and I was in denial about it." the blonde answered with his hand on his forehead to ward off the stress. "Look, we're both really tired and upset right now and it isn't getting us anywhere. Let's call it a night and we'll sit down calmly and discuss it in the morning okay Sakura?"

"You've changed Naruto." said the rosette sadly.

Naruto looked at her and said, "We all have to grow up eventually Sakura. Look, I know you love Sasuke but you have to think rationally regarding him. If he's the same as he was when he left us he'd kill you in a heartbeat without remorse. I don't want that to happen to you Sakura."

"A-alright Naruto." Sakura said calming a bit. "We'll talk tomorrow. But I want to know what _really_ happened at the Valley of the End."

Naruto nodded slowly. "I'll tell you all about it Sakura. Get some sleep. I'm going to turn in myself soon." With that they bid each other goodnight.

After a while Naruto looked up to the roof above him. "Are you coming down Ero-sennin? I know you heard it all."

Jiraiya came down. He was still moving slow from his injuries. "So you finally see things differently regarding your former teammate. I tried to explain things to you for years but you stubbornly clung to the belief that you were going to 'rescue' the Uchiha. What changed?"

Naruto turned to his mentor. "Illyana did. She told me that _you can't help someone who isn't willing to help themselves_. She cried so hard for me when she saw that scar from the chidori. After that I reflected a lot on what had happened with Sasuke and _really_ thought deeply about it. The Sasuke that was my best friend died when embraced the power of that cursed seal. He became a monster. I hope somehow there is a way to bring him back but I'm not betting on it. I think the idea of things ever being back the way they were when we were Team Seven is a pipe dream. I'm just sorry I wasted so much time chasing it."

"You really _have_ matured Naruto." said Jiraiya. "I'm proud of you."

"I just wish _you_ had matured." grumbled Naruto. "I know you're a pervert and write your smut but peeping on Illyana-chan and I and then writing about it? It will be a while before I forgive you for that."

Jiraiya sighed. He knew this was coming; he was surprised Naruto wasn't yelling at him over it though. The way Naruto was handling it actually kind of made it _worse_ than yelling. "Naruto, I know you're angry but let me share a little secret with you. You'll probably disagree but do you know why that book has been such a huge hit with people that normally don't read stuff like mine?" Naruto shook his head. "When I saw you and Illyana together was _inspiring_ to me as a writer. I don't know all the secrets behind that girl; she's a mystery to me. But I do know that you two have a love for each other that others only dream about. When I wrote about it; it just flowed onto the paper like magic. Does that make any sense? For what it's worth; I'm sorry to both you and Illyana, Naruto."

"I guess it sort of makes since but I'm still angry." said Naruto. "Couldn't you have at least _asked_ before you published that damn thing? I've never been so embarrassed in my whole life!"

Jiraiya laughed, "With sex scenes _that hot_ do you seriously believe I could keep it to myself gaki? I'm hoping to get a movie deal out of this! Bwahahaha!"

Naruto just sweat dropped. He was tired and figured he'd kill Jiraiya later. For someone he looked up to as a Father figure of sorts Jiraiya sure had a _lot_ _more_ than his fair share of flaws….

**The Village of Konoha**

Shizune was giving the summarized report to Tsunade. "Chiyo-sama of Suna died in the line of duty and Kazekage-sama was returned safely. Team Jiraiya and Team Gai have completed their mission without a hitch and plan to return to Konoha in six days. The report includes information on an Akatsuki Spy being at the Tenchi Bridge in ten days but Jiraiya-sama's injuries would prevent him from personally following up. At best we would have to send a team we have here in Konoha. Jiraiya-sama mentioned his team would also be unsuitable due to some internal dissention on the subject but didn't include details of why in his summary."

Tsunade nodded. She mentally went through her checklist of available teams and said, "I want the most recent reports from Anko on her apprentice's training. I also want to know the status of Team Kurenai." Shizune nodded and went to get the appropriate papers….

POSTSCRIPT:

For those that have been concerned (whether for or against) there isn't going to be masses of Sasuke and Sakura bashing. I wanted to give Naruto a more mature outlook on his battle with Sasuke and that's the route I'm taking. I'm also of the opinion that the details of Sasuke's second level cursed seal form never made it back to Sakura because despite her fan girl attitude at the time she _is_ very intelligent and I would think that seeing what Sasuke had become would make her think twice about her love for him.

Another note I'd like to make is about Deidara. He's described as being so dangerous but by the time they confronted him in the manga he was already missing an arm and didn't have any clay left. Really? The guy should have been a sitting duck. If you're a big Deidara fan I apologize but in this story he's history.

Next chapter is going to be a lot more interesting. Blue out. 1/14/15


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter 7_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the X-Men

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: _

By popular demand I'm posting this early. Now things are _finally_ going to get interesting! This chapter flowed quite nicely compared to the last one. Here's chapter 7:

Last Time:

_Shizune was giving the summarized report to Tsunade. "Chiyo-sama of Suna died in the line of duty and Kazekage-sama was returned safely. Team Jiraiya and Team Gai have completed their mission without a hitch and plan to return to Konoha in six days. The report includes information on an Akatsuki Spy being at the Tenchi Bridge in ten days but Jiraiya-sama's injuries would prevent him from personally following up. At best we would have to send a team we have here in Konoha. Jiraiya-sama mentioned his team would also be unsuitable due to some internal dissention on the subject but didn't include details of why in his summary."_

_Tsunade nodded. She mentally went through her checklist of available teams and said, "I want the most recent reports from Anko on her apprentice's training. I also want to know the status of Team Kurenai." Shizune nodded and went to get the appropriate papers…. _

**The Village of Konoha**

Tsunade was looking over Anko's reports on Illyana. Anko found that Illyana's situation was sort of like Rock Lee's. The girl should be able to use chakra to enhance her mobility but jutsus were pretty much out of the question. On the other hand, Illyana's magic and teleporting bloodline more than compensated for it. Anko was currently building up the girl's physical strength and was training her in the snake style which Anko claimed Illyana was a natural at. Though she was untested Tsunade felt Illyana would do adequately for this mission. The girl needed to learn tree walking first though….

Team Kurenai was a mess. Yamanaka Inoichi reported that Hinata was suffering from extreme depression and her family (with a few exceptions) was providing her with no virtually support whatsoever. Most of her emotional support was coming from Kurenai and her teammates. The young kunoichi was in a sad state but Inoichi recommended that she should be able to perform missions and it would actually be therapeutic for Hinata to get out and away from the village and her family. No one had realized what a pillar of strength Naruto was for her. Inoichi said that she bore no animosity toward Naruto or Illyana but rather blamed herself for not having the courage to tell Naruto she loved him….

Tsunade called Shizune in. "Shizune, I'm considering taking a hypothetical risk and I want your opinion." Her apprentice nodded. "Here is the basic plan. Team Kurenai will conduct the capture of this spy at the Tenchi Bridge. Once the spy is secured Anko and her apprentice move in and using Illyana's bloodline she teleports them out to a secure area. What do you think?"

Shizune pondered. She'd read the same reports Tsunade had about Hinata and Illyana's battle readiness. "If we could bring chunin Hinata and genin Illyana up to combat level it's feasible. What's the hypothetical risk you refer to? The plan itself seems sound enough."

"I want the two girls to help each other." said Tsunade plainly. "Hinata can use her byakugan to give Illyana help learning tree walking and Illyana can help Hinata by being supportive and hopefully smoothing things out."

"Would Illyana be willing to do such a thing?" asked Shizune. "Technically Hinata's in love with Illyana's boyfriend. Illyana might get defensive about Naruto."

"That's where the risk comes in Shizune. Anko said that Illyana saw Hinata's breakdown and feels bad for the girl but doesn't feel guilty for having Naruto. If the two became friends…."

"You should talk to Illyana first Tsunade-sama." said Shizune. "From what I know of Hinata's character she can get along with anyone but I don't know if Illyana would be willing. It would be great if they could become friends or at least strong allies but that kind of chemistry you just can't order someone to have."

**The Village of Suna**

Naruto was currently in Sakura's room with his shirt off. Sakura was carefully examining the scar from the front to the back of Naruto's shoulder where Sasuke had tried to kill him. She had tears rolling down her face when she stopped the examination with her medical ninjutsu. "This wound should have been fatal. If it wasn't for the Kyūbi being sealed in you I have no doubt you would have died. He tried to _murder_ you Naruto! _Why didn't you tell me?!_"

"I didn't tell you because I was in denial and I knew it would hurt you Sakura…." said Naruto sadly. "I should have known then and there that the Sasuke we knew was gone but I refused to believe it. He was physically transformed into a monster and bragged he was going to kill me so he could gain the Mangekyō Sharingan. It had nothing to do with me. He just had to kill a close friend for power –it could have just as easily been you."

"You said he physically changed –that he had wings?! Can you describe it?" asked Sakura dreading the truth but still _needing_ to know it.

"You're not going to like it." said Naruto as he created a shadow clone. "Do you still want to see?" Sakura nodded and the clone henged into Sasuke's level one cursed seal form. She remembered it and teared up more. Naruto turned to his clone and said. "Show her the second level." The clone nodded and henged into the gray skinned Sasuke-thing with the grotesque hand like wings on his back.

Sakura stared for what seemed like eons with her eyes wide in horror as tears streamed down her face. Deep inside her stomach revolted from the emotional turmoil. Realizing what was about to happen she ran over to the trash can and emptied the contents of her stomach into it. The boy she once loved…._was no longer human_. He was a murderous beast_, just like his master Orochimaru_. She cried out from the mental anguish and felt Naruto patting her back trying to comfort her. She turned and grabbed onto Naruto and cried her eyes out. She didn't know how long she sobbed but when she finally calmed down she was physically exhausted….

Naruto helped her lie down as the young medic was obviously in no shape to be up and around. She whispered, "Naruto…._I'm so, so very sorry_ for everything. I could have been your friend or more back then but I was in love with…." She started quietly crying again.

As he sat by her bed Naruto watched over Sakura as she quietly fell to sleep. The truth hurt. It was ugly and painful. As he leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes he thought just how thankful he was that Illyana-chan had opened his eyes to the truth….

**The Village of Konoha, Forty-Second Training Ground**

"So that's the situation in a nutshell." said Kurenai. "Over the next week you girls are going to train together. Hinata-chan, you are going to train Illyana in tree walking. I want you to see if you can polish her kunai and shuriken skills as well but chakra control is paramount for this mission. We only have a week to prepare so I want both of you to do your best!" She disappeared in a body flicker. The girls stood in silence….

'_Well, this is awkward_….' thought Illyana. "The Hokage told me you were really excellent at chakra control Hinata-san. I hope we get along."

Hinata seemed to stare for a moment and thought, '_At least she's being kind to me; I should at least return the favor._' "Don't worry Illyana-san; I will do my best to instruct you. Why don't we start by us telling each other a bit about ourselves so we'll be more comfortable with each other…."

Though the two young women avoided the topic of Naruto like the plague they got along well enough and Illyana found Hinata really was a good instructor. Though they were formal with each other Illyana really did learn a lot since Hinata was very patient and helpful. The blond sorceress often praised Hinata's teaching abilities that would coax a smile out of Hinata. Eventually the two talked a bit more with each other and Hinata found that Naruto-kun's girlfriend was indeed a nice person. The two weren't the best of friends by any means but they both enjoyed training together.

A week later, just as Tsunade hoped, Hinata's self confidence was slowly returning and Illyana had mastered the tree walking exercise. The two girls agreed to continue training after the mission was over to teach Illyana water walking. The idea that someone actually _wanted_ to spend time even just to train with her helped fill a little bit of the void in Hinata's heart. She made up her mind to become stronger by following her own path and hoped she could still be friends with Naruto….

**Three days later at the Tenchi Bridge**

Team Kurenai waited to ambush the Akatsuki spy with Kurenai having woven a complex, multilayered genjutsu that she was Sasori.

The spy approached cloaked and said, "It has been a long time Sasori-sama. It has been five years." as he pulled back his cloak revealing he was Kabuto.

'_Yakushi Kabuto!_' thought Kurenai. "Were you followed?"

"No, it's safe…." answered Kabuto carefully.

Hinata, Kiba, Akamaru and Shino watched tensely as Kurenai was questioning Kabuto about Orochimaru and Uchiha Sasuke's whereabouts. Kurenai was well aware that Kabuto was a dangerous opponent and decided to ensnare him in a genjutsu so her team could perform the actual capture.

Kabuto suddenly said, "I cannot afford to be here any longer. Give me the _item_ if you please. I will be killed if I am seen with you."

"Of course." said Kurenai as she finished her genjustu. Kabuto's eyes seemed to go blank as he stood there motionless. Kurenai made a hand signal and her team leaped out and restrained Kabuto before he recovered. Kurenai sighed and got on her radio. "Team Kurenai to Team Anko, the capture is complete. You can move in now."

"_Roger._" was Anko's answer over the receiver.

Kurenai smiled at her students and the mesmerized Kabuto. "Let's go guys." She suddenly felt a presence a leaped clear.

"_My, my_." said Orochimaru. "To think I let my subordinate out of my sights for a _second_ and he gets himself captured. Good help is _so_ _hard_ to find these days."

"Orochimaru!" exclaimed Kurenai, "Pull out team, pull out now!"

_That was five minutes ago….a lifetime by ninja standards_.

Anko and Illyana were now racing towards Team Kurenai because Anko heard Kurenai's startled cry of _Orochimaru!_ over the radio. Anko turned to Illyana and said. "Kurenai-chan and I will face off with my ex-sensei. Pull Team Kurenai out with your stepping disks and wait for us two jonins to retreat so you can pull us out as well. _DO NOT_ attempt to engage him yourself."

Illyana nodded. "Got it Anko-sensei." The two were at the bridge minutes later and saw a horrific sight when they got there. The members of Team Kurenai were all down except Hinata and Kurenai. Hinata was suspended in the air by Orochimaru whose extended form was biting her neck to apply a Cursed Seal. Hinata's body spasmed as he dropped her and she started to writhe in pain.

Anko cried out, "_NO!_" as she launched herself into Orochimaru.

….

Kiba came around moments later and saw Illyana dragging Shino over to him. "What's going on?" he asked the blond girl.

"We're pulling out!" answered Illyana. "I've got Akamaru and Shino here. Help me with Hinata."

Kiba stumbled over to Hinata and found his Teammate in obvious pain and sweating as if she was suffering from a massive fever. "What's wrong with her?"

"I don't know!" yelled Illyana. "Bring her over here, now!" Kiba complied and Illyana got ready to teleport them all out. About that time both Kurenai and Anko crashed into them with Anko cursing profusely the whole way. Seeing everyone was in the same place Illyana teleported them to Limbo at the speed of thought.

**Location: Limbo**

The group landed roughly in a pile in a cave like area of Limbo that was devoid of demons. Illyana didn't want to get in a battle with the locals given several of her group were still unconscious. Anko was swearing enough to make a sailor blush as she held onto her curse mark in pain. She was completely immobilized and soon passed out. Akamaru and Shino were still out and Kurenai was laying on her stomach stunned unconscious from the impact. Kiba looked down and noticed he was bruised badly from the kick he got from Orochimaru. '_That's really going to hurt later_….' he thought to himself.

"Help me here Kiba, I'm not a medic." said Illyana as she did her best to get everyone situated.

Kiba and Illyana did their best with their limited knowledge of first aid. Dealing with everyone's cuts and bruises they could do but head injuries or anything else was out of their reach. Illyana was more concerned about the raging, unexplainable fever Hinata had. She believed the others would wake up eventually but Hinata could die.

A few hours later a panicked Kurenai awoke wondering about her team. She saw Kiba bring a wet cloth to Illyana who was cradling a sweating Hinata who was stripped to her underwear with her clothes spread below her like a blanket. Kurenai could feel a horrible, tainted chakra in the air. "Kiba, report!"

Kiba jumped a bit and said, "Your awake sensei, thank god! Ummm….Illyana dragged us out of there before Orochimaru could finish us off. Everyone's been out for hours while Illyana and I took care of them. Hinata's in really bad shape sensei…."

Kurenai nodded. "Illyana, is this place secure?"

"We are safe Kurenai-sensei." answered Illlyana. "But Hinata isn't. She has a terrible fever and is in pain. I-"

"….It's a goddamned curse seal." Rasped out Anko from her spot lying on the smooth floor of the cave like area they were in. "Nai-chan, Orochimaru bit her and cursed her like he did me and the damned Uchiha brat."

"No….not Hinata-chan…." whispered out Kurenai.

Illyana asked, "What's a cursed seal Anko sensei? She's acting like her body is fighting off an infection."

Anko struggled up and came over to examine Hinata's neck where Anko knew she'd been bit. There were three malformed tomoes there. "See these marks Illyana-chan?" said Anko as she exposed her own curse mark. "Orochimaru bites a person and _infects_ them with cursed chakra. Nine out of ten people die from it. We have to pray Hinata is strong enough to be in that ten percent that survives."

Both Kiba and Illyana got horrified looks on their faces. Kiba turn to Kurenai who said, "Anko survived and Uchiha Sasuke survived."

"Is that why Sasuke-san became such a monster and went to Orochimaru?" asked Shino.

"Shino, you're awake!" said Kiba.

Shino nodded, "Yes I am. Is that what happened to the Uchiha?" he asked again.

Anko sighed. "When given the curse mark you are tempted by it to use its powerful, corrupted chakra. It's like it has a mind of its own. From the second I got mine I have resisted its power and never used it. Mine has a seal on it to contain it but it is powered by my will. The Uchiha brat _embraced_ the power of the cursed seal like an addict and became a monster."

"Didn't they try to put a seal on Sasuke's?" asked Kiba.

"They did. Kakashi sealed it right after the preliminary matches at the chunin exams." explained Kurenai. "But that seal relied on Sasuke's will to resist it and he _wanted_ the power so the containment seal failed."

Kiba gasped, "Then Hinata…."

"If Hinata survives the seals application then she will be marked and tainted the rest of her life….just like me." said Anko morosely.

Akamaru whimpered having awakened and heard all of this. Kiba reached over and rubbed his fur. "Don't worry; somehow Hinata will be okay buddy."

Anko was going to tell him Hinata would _never_ be okay again but a massive burst of the corrupted chakra exploded forth from Hinata as the girl woke up. She was completely disoriented and black lines that looked like cracks sprang forth from the cursed seal and started covering her body. She was enraged and threw Kiba, Kurenai and Illyana off of her screaming incoherently. "_Get it out! GET IT OUT!_" She howled before she collapsed to her knees writhing in pain. The chakra continued to enshroud her as she rolled around. Finally she started having seizures and foaming at the mouth as her friends wrestled her back to the ground.

Hinata jerked and her eyes focused on Illyana who was holding Hinata's head in place so she wouldn't injure herself flailing around on the rocky floor.

Illyana said, "You have to stop thrashing around before you hurt yourself further Hinata-san!"

Hinata seemed to go totally limp at that point. She said weakly, "Illyana-san….take c-care of Naruto-kun for me…."

Her head lolled to the side as Hinata's body completely stopped still….Hyūga Hinata was dead.

Team Kurenai, Anko and Illyana watched as the black, crack like lines covering Hinata started to fade and Hinata's eyes seemed to fade from their beautiful lavender shade into a dull, lifeless black. Illyana stared at the girl in her arms and whispered, "_No_…." under her breath. Kurenai nearly burst into tears over her most beloved student. She checked for a pulse and placed her ear on the girl's chest and heard _silence_. Anko checked for any signs of life as well and then solemnly closed Hinata's eyelids in the silence they were all drowning in.

Kurenai tried to be strong for Kiba and Shino but seeing Hinata lying there lifeless the crimson eyed jonin couldn't hold it in and cried out Hinata's name before she completely broke down. Kiba burst into sobs himself and Akamaru joined him in a mournful howl. Shino shed tears silently for his dear friend and teammate.

Anko was cursing furiously at losing another to Orochimaru and his damned cursed seal. She wasn't close to Hinata but knew the girl was a kind soul. She swore that somehow, someday she'd make her former sensei pay for this.

That's when they all felt a terrifying presence. They saw Illyana's eyes glowing yellow as her form took a more demonic shade about it. "_I am the **Sorceress Supreme** of this dimension and I can't save this girl's life?! I WILL NOT HAVE IT!_" She summoned her soul sword and drove it into the ground blowing the others back. A circle of silver flame with a star in the center formed around Illyana and Hinata's body.

Anko stared wide eyed at her apprentice. "Illyana-chan, what the hell are you doing?!"

Illyana narrowed her glowing eyes and snarled, "I can still sense the presence of that vile snake of a man inside this horrid seal. If it's there it means she is still alive. All of you stay out of the magic circle of fire. I am going to save her life!" With that Illyana sat at the lowest point of the star and sat Hinata's body in the center. She closed her eyes and entered into a trance.

Kurenai was about to intervene but Anko stopped her. "Let Illyana-chan try. I don't understand any of this but I believe in her." Kurenai trusted her friend Anko and nodded. Anko and Team Kurenai watched in silent vigil as the silver flames danced around Illyana and the body of Hinata….

**The Astral Plane**

Illyana opened her eyes in her astral form and saw Hinata covered in the crack like lines in the fetal position. Hinata's eyes were staring wide open and were nothing but _black sockets_. Illyana saw a specter in the form of Orochimaru hovering over Hinata. "_It's too bad_." said the specter. "_It seems the curse seal destroyed those wonderful eyes of hers….She is of no use to me even if she lives….I'll just snuff her pathetic life out for good_…." Illyana screamed for vengeance and impaled the specter with her soul sword. The creature never saw it coming and shrieked as it burned up in its death throes.

Illyana looked at Hinata who was no longer curled up. The crack lines were still there and her eyes were still just sockets. Hinata looked around staring blindly. The areas around the cracks seemed to be giving way. '_Her soul is breaking down before my very eyes; she's dying!_' "Hinata-san, don't move any! Your very life depends upon it!"

Hinata stopped moving but turned to face Illyana. "Who is there? I cannot see!" Black tears ran down out of the sockets that were once her eyes.

Illyana kneeled down and took Hinata's hands. "It's me, Illyana. I know it's difficult for you to comprehend but I'm trying to save your life on the spirit plane. These are our souls talking; you are between life and death. That seal the man cursed you with damaged your soul and right now it is fragile like glass and has cracks in it. We have to repair it so you can come back to life. Do you understand?"

Hinata said, "I don't fully understand Illyana-san but tell me what to do to fix the damage. Right now I can't see anything. Will this restore my vision?"

Illyana saw the desperation etched on the girl's face. Hinata was truly strong to stay so calm in such a situation. "I hope it will restore your eyes but I can't say for sure. First we have to fix the other damage or you will die whether you have eyes or not."

"A-all right. Just tell me what to do Illyana-san." said Hinata. "I will do whatever I have to do to live again."

Illyana smiled. "I'm going to gently lie you down and straighten out you body. Then using your energy and mine we will fix the damage through my magics."

"Magics?" asked Hinata confused.

Illyana said. "Just trust in me; I am a sorceress. –and just call me Illyana."

Hinata said, "Alright Illyana please just call me Hinata -and thank you."

The two young women went through several grueling hours of repairing the damage to Hinata's battered soul. As each part of her body was repaired Hinata's energy seemed to grow stronger along with her determination. The two talked about the only thing they truly had in common –Naruto. After many hours of revelations about Illyana's origins and Naruto containing the Kyūbi, Hinata said. "I can see why Naruto-kun turned to you. You both share such terrible burdens. I wish I could shoulder some of that weight for you both."

'_She truly loves Naruto-kun. Hinata is truly a kind person. It's such a shame_.' thought Illyana. "Well, your body is repaired, can you sit up?"

Hinata sat up and found she could move around easily –but blindly. "What about my eyes?"

Illyana moved so they were both facing each other holding hands. "Now we must give our all to restore your eyes." Both girls focused their energy into Hinata's eye sockets but sadly there was nothing left there to rebuild or repair. Hinata's eyes were simply **_gone_**. It wasn't long before Hinata started losing her composure. She'd explained to Illyana that being a blind Hyūga was a fate worse than death but Illyana kept urging her to fight on and live.

"Don't you understand? If I can't see I have no reason to live!" cried Hinata angrily as more black tears surged forth. "I'd be a burden to everyone including Naruto-kun! I'd rather die!"

They argued back and forth and Illyana finally lost control of her temper and assumed her Darkchilde form. "**_Fine!_**_ You want to die?!_" she growled. She drew her soul sword. "_I'll cut you down right n_-….-**_Wait_**."

"Wait for what? Aren't you going to cut me down?" shrieked Hinata.

"….There is another way to restore your vision." said Darkchilde in a lilting voice. "At least you'd have _eyes_, anyway."

Hinata heard the strangeness in Illyana's voice but said, "What is this other way?"

Darkchilde chuckled though Hinata saw no reason to laugh about anything right now. Finally Darkchilde stopped chuckling and said, "It will cost you a piece of your soul."

"A piece….of my soul?" asked Hinata with chills running up and down her spine.

She felt Darkchilde's clawed fingers grip her chin so they were facing directly at each other. "Yes; just like I sold a piece of my soul for power you can sell a piece of yours to get new eyes." Hinata hesitated and Darkchilde drew her face so near she could feel the demon girl's hot breath. "Do you want to _see_ Naruto-kun? Do you want to _be_ with Naruto-kun? I'll even _share_ him with you _for the right price_." Hinata gasped and Darkchilde continued. "Don't lie to me girl, you want him as badly as I do."

Hinata said seriously, "What's the price?" She had more eagerness than apprehension in her voice now.

Darkchilde pondered and then said. "Your new eyes will have a power, a _demonic_ power of some nature. You will be cursed just like Naruto-kun and I. I want to make a blood pact that you will shoulder some of our burdens as well. You will use those new eyes to protect and serve Naruto-kun and myself. I want you to be there so that even if I were to die in some disaster that Naruto-kun would _never_ be alone. _You_ love him and _I_ love him. It isn't such a big price to pay….What do you think…?"

Hinata faced forward in Darkchilde's direction with her face set in stone and finally said, "For Naruto-kun and my eyes….do it."

"This will hurt a bit Hinata-chan." Darkchilde's laughter was the last thing Hinata heard before she blacked out from the agonizing pain of losing a piece of her soul.

**Location: Limbo **

Anko and Team Kurenai were sitting there occasionally conversing but mainly just waiting. Illyana had been sitting like a statue for _hours_ facing Hinata's body inside the circle of silver flames. Suddenly Illyana collapsed over to one side with a gasp and Hinata coughed and started gasping for air. The magic flames went out and the whole group rushed over to the two girls. Both of them seemed exhausted and out of breath. Kurenai pulled Hinata into a sitting position facing her. Hinata-chan! Say something to me!"

Hinata opened her eyes. They were still pupiless but violet colored now instead of lavender. They reflected light like a cat's eyes in the dark making them glow. She smiled tiredly and said, "You don't know how happy I am to **_see_** you Kurenai-sensei."

Kurenai gasped at Hinata's new eyes, they looked beautiful but….sinister? _That didn't make any sense_. "Hinata, your eyes…."

Hinata nodded. "Orochimaru's cursed seal corrupted my byakugan and destroyed it. I guess I just have ordinary eyes now. Illyana-chan removed all of Orochimaru's taint from me though. It took hours but I'm not cursed like Sasuke-san was. See?" she pointed at her exposed neck where Orochimaru applied the curse seal and it was unblemished.

Kurenai hugged Hinata and said, "Thank god you're alive Hinata-chan. That's all that matters to me."

Anko was over holding up the exhausted Illyana. "Illyana-chan, what the hell have you been doing all this time?! I was worried sick! Are you alright?"

Illyana nodded to Anko as she stared over at Hinata in guilt. '_Gods, what have I done?! I used her for power just like Belasco used me_.' She heard her Darkchilde persona laugh. '_So what? She's happy and stronger and you are happy and even **more** powerful because of that piece of her soul. Most importantly **Naruto-kun** will be happy_….' Shaking off her darker side's comments Illyana asked tiredly. "Hinata-chan, are you all right?"

Hinata looked over to Illyana with her new eyes filled with joy. "I've never been better thanks to you Illyana-chan."

Illyana smiled weakly knowing her own baser instincts were the cause of all of this but she could tell how happy Hinata was as she hugged each of her teammates before she squeaked in embarrassment realizing she was just in her underwear. The young sorceress wondered what the future would hold. Darkchilde liked Hinata's devotion to Naruto-kun and used it against her. Her demonic side wanted Hinata to be a servant to her and Naruto-kun but at the same time Illyana wondered how the hell the situation would play out. Now she had to figure out how they'd go about _sharing_ Naruto-kun. Deep inside she was insecure and frightened….and a major part of that fear was of herself.

**The Village of Konoha **

Hours later, Team Kurenai, Anko and Illyana appeared in the forest near Konoha via Illyana's stepping disk and the headed in the main gates. After checking in with the gate guards the group went straight to the Konoha hospital to get Hinata's new eyes checked. The entire group was really worn out from the emotional stress and all of them needed some medical attention in one form or another. Lady Tsunade and the medical staff were very busy with them for hours with them. Shino was slightly concussed and Kiba had bruised ribs. Both Kurenai and Anko were really beat up from their brief battle with Orochimaru.

Akamaru was in the care of Kiba's sister, Inuzuka Hana. The only one that was unhurt physically was Illyana but she was suffering from exhaustion. The main concern was Hinata and her new eyes. Neji was called in to see his cousin because he'd seen the cursed mark on Sasuke and was asked to examine Hinata for any remaining corrupted chakra. The first thing he saw was Hinata's softly glowing eyes and he visibly cringed. He spoke to Hinata briefly and she informed him of the situation and how Illyana saved her life.

Neji was very torn. He was happy to report that there wasn't the slightest trace of tainted chakra in Hinata's system but was horrified by her new eyes. He could tell they weren't byakugan eyes of course but through his vision he noted they had all the chakra receptors intact as if Hinata still had a doujutsu. Neji could only guess that it was a residual effect of having the byakugan previously. He tried to hide it but as a Hyūga, the loss of one's eyes was a fate worse than death. It would be some time before he would be able to look into Hinata's eyes without cringing.

"Your new eyes look unusual but they are one hundred percent healthy." said Tsunade to Hinata. You vision is still better then twenty-twenty and they increased number of receptors common with the byakugan means your peripheral vision and ability to detect motion are far superior to an average human being's. Your low light vision is also far superior. I know you no longer have the byakugan but you've been blessed with an extraordinary set of eyes for a normal person." Hinata and Illyana had explained that Hinata's new eyes were formed magically on the astral plane. Tsunade was astonished of course but both girls carefully edited out any references to pieces of souls or demonic eyes.

It would only be after two days of observation that Hinata would be released from the hospital. Most her friends in the Konoha Eleven came to see her and Neji brought Hanabi who was horrified to hear the news. She could hardly look at Hinata's new eyes without crying.

Illyana came with Naruto to see her. He and Sakura returned a day after the disastrous mission to the Tenchi Bridge started. She'd told Naruto of the agreement between her and Hinata to share him and he was having a hard time wrapping his head around the idea. He had to admit his inner pervert was dancing a jig at the idea. Even though he felt Hinata was dark, shy and a little weird he had to admit she'd grown up into quite a babe. He complimented her new eyes; he honestly thought they were very beautiful. Hinata smiled shyly and the three promised they would all discuss things together once she was out.

Naruto was concerned about how Hinata's family would feel about being involved with him and Illyana but Hinata told him she would probably be disowned because she no longer possessed the byakugan. Both Illyana and Naruto were shocked at the idea of her own family casting her out but Hinata said it was probably better this way. Much to their surprise the now violet eyed kunoichi seemed relieved and acted almost liberated at the idea of leaving the Hyūga Compound….

**Hyūga Compound the next day….**

Hinata came home late last night from the hospital with Neji escorting her and avoided the prying eyes of the family and waited to see her Father in the morning. After taking a shower and getting a good night's rest she put on her formal clan robes and went to see her Father Hiashi in his study. Soon she was standing resolutely before him. After taking a deep breath she said, "Otou-sama, I no longer have the byakugan eyes and therefore I can no longer lead the Hyūga Clan. I would like my final act as heiress before I step down to formally bequeath the title of heiress upon Hanabi-chan. It is best for the clan and all others. After much consideration I have decided to move out of the compound as I cannot even serve as a cadet branch member without the byakugan. My only request is that I retain the honor of having the Hyūga name as my own as I am sure you can no longer acknowledge me as you daughter."

Hiashi stood up and walked around his desk so he was face to face with Hinata. She wasn't sure what he was going to do. For what seemed like ages he stared into Hinata's new eyes as if he was searching for something. He suddenly started shedding tears and fully embraced Hinata as he sobbed. Hinata was too dumbstruck to move. She didn't believe he'd cried since her Mother passed so long ago. Finally he said, "Hinata, my beautiful daughter. It shatters my heart knowing what happened to you. I read the reports that you lost your byakugan in battle against that vile monster Orochimaru. I didn't want to believe it. I couldn't bear to see you at the hospital after hearing Neji's report. Forgive me."

He was still shedding tears for her when he said, "For you to come before me and pass your title to Hanabi so calmly and resolutely only proves to me what a fine leader you could become in the future. I am so very proud of you. You will always be my daughter. I would never cast you out. You are still a member of the Hyūga clan main family and always will be."

Hinata shed a single tear. "Are you sure Otou-sama? I don't want to shame you. I have to retrain myself in a fighting style that doesn't require the byakugan. I can live elsewhere. I do have income as an active duty kunoichi after all."

Hiashi shook his head. "I will hear no more of you shaming me or leaving. The archive has many variations and precursors of the Juken style that I'm sure you can adapt to your new eyes." He paused and regained control of his emotions. "Hyūga Hinata, I accept that you are passing the title of heiress to your younger sister but know that you will _always_ be a Lady of this house." He sighed. "I need to summon Hanabi here so we can formally pass the title. Know that I love you and I am proud of you my daughter." Hinata hugged her Father and he returned her embrace. They both quietly cried as they held one another for a time. Finally getting their emotions under control, Hiashi sent for Hanabi.

Hanabi was sitting with Neji who was doing his best to comfort her. They had both seen Hinata's haunting but beautiful new eyes. Losing the byakugan was worse than losing your life from their point of view. Hanabi had been shattered seeing her sister that way. She wished there was _any_ way to restore Hinata's byakugan to her. Neji said that they should feel blessed that Hinata still had eyes at all and could still see even without the byakugan but Hanabi had been inconsolable. Truthfully Neji felt the same way as Hanabi but was keeping up a strong front for her sake. He had come to visit Lady Hinata this morning only to find Hanabi crying at her sister's door when she found out Hinata wasn't around.

Hanabi heard a knocking at her door and wiped the tears from her puffy eyes. She cracked open the door and saw it was Hyūga Kō, her sister's guardian. She opened the door and asked, "What can I do for you Kō?"

Kō got straight to the point and said, "Lady Hanabi, your Father Hiashi-sama has requested your presence in his study."

"Can Neji nii-san accompany me?" the girl asked sadly in a worried tone.

"I will come with you Lady Hanabi." said Neji. "If you want I will wait at the door for you until Hiashi-sama is finished."

"A-alight." Hanabi felt dread in her ten year old heart as she travelled to Hiashi's study along with Neji and Kō in silence. When they arrived at Hiashi's office she knocked and announced herself before Hiashi told her to enter. Surprisingly he told Kō and Neji to enter as well and to close the door behind them. They saw Hinata in the seiza position awaiting them along with Hiashi. Hiashi motioned for Hanabi to sit beside Hinata and Kō and Neji remained standing.

Hiashi said, "Hyūga Neji and Hyūga Kō will stand witness to these proceedings. Hinata has-"

"I will tell them Otou-sama." said Hinata in a quiet but unwavering tone. Hiashi looked surprised but then nodded to Hinata to continue. Hinata turned to face Hanabi and said, "Turn to face me Hyūga Hanabi." Hanabi pivoted so she was looking face to face with Hinata. She cringed at Hinata's glowing eyes again. Hinata nodded. "Hyūga Hanabi, as I no longer wield the byakugan eyes, I, Hyūga Hinata do formally bequeath the title of sole heiress of the Hyūga clan upon you."

"**_NO!_**" cried out Hanabi as she grabbed onto Hinata. "It wasn't supposed to be like this!" she sobbed as she hugged Hinata. "We were supposed to prove which one of us was more suited through our hard work as sisters, not have you lose your precious, _precious_ sight!" The younger girl was blubbering now. "I-I love you nee-chan. Please don't give up Hinata-nee…." Hanabi felt her older sister's gentle embrace as she cried for a while.

Hinata finally sat Hanabi back up gently by holding her shoulders. "Hanabi-chan, there is no question in this matter, Otou-sama did not decide this, _I_ did. You must grow and adapt to these changes just as I must. I will always be your sister and I will always love and support you. I can no longer be heiress and I ask that you do so in my place. Now we must both grow stronger in our own ways. Don't make this harder than it needs to be Hanabi-chan. I know you'll be a great leader of the Hyūga clan someday. Do you accept?" asked Hinata gently.

Hanabi still had tears streaming down her face. "I-I, Hyūga Hanabi, do formally accept my position as sole heiress of the Hyūga clan." Hiashi didn't blame Hanabi for crying. The way Hinata talked to her was so kind and caring that for a moment both Hiashi and Kō would have sworn Hinata was her late Mother.

Hiashi then said, "The passing of the title of heiress has been formally witnessed by myself and two branch members in excellent standing. Our business is concluded. Kō, please escort Lady Hinata to the archives and help her with her research. Neji, please wait outside, I wish to talk to Hanabi alone for a few minutes." Hinata kissed Hanabi's forehead before she left with Kō in tow. Neji waited outside. Once the room was empty Hiashi came around and embraced his youngest child and held her tight while she cried her eyes out for her older sister.

_Later_….

Kō was walking along with Lady Hinata wondering what there was in the archives that would interest her but soon he found out when Hinata deftly started going through the scrolls that were fighting styles that preceded the Juken style perfected by the Hyūga Clan. Hinata was rapidly going through them as it was easy to tell which were designed for use with the byakugan and which were not. Soon Hinata found something that caught her interest. "Bagua Zhang (Eight Trigram Palm)* was the precursor to the Juken that was in turn based upon the martial arts of Taoist Priests in ancient times. This looks promising."

POSTSCRIPT:

*Bagua Zhang is a school of styles that Kishimoto based the Juken (Gentle Fist) style upon. I'm not going to claim any true knowledge of the martial arts but it seems to me that it would be easy for Hinata to adapt to it given they are so similar. There is a lot out there on Wikipedia if anyone is interested. I'm not going into exhaustive detail about it.

Next chapter we will see more about Bagua Zhang and Hinata's development as a kunoichi. A lot of canon things are going to change. Blue out. 1/14/15


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter 8_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the X-Men

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: _

Well, as I expected last chapter was a make or break for many people. Many seemed to rejoice at the idea of Hinata coming into the relationship (I have had **tons** of requests for it) but many others were violently opposed. You just can't please everyone unfortunately. For those that have decided to stick with the story, I thank you and here is chapter 8:

Last Time:

_Kō was walking along with Lady Hinata wondering what there was in the archives that would interest her but soon he found out when Hinata deftly started going through the scrolls that were fighting styles that preceded the Juken style perfected by the Hyūga Clan. Hinata was rapidly going through them as it was easy to tell which were designed for use with the byakugan and which were not. Soon Hinata found something that caught her interest. "Bagua Zhang (Eight Trigram Palm) was the precursor to the Juken that was in turn based upon the martial arts of Taoist Priests in ancient times. This looks promising."_

**Konoha Hospital **

Kakashi was reading a new copy of _Icha Icha: The Soldier and the Sorceress_ (dropped off by Jiraiya as a 'get well' present) when Sakura came in to see him. She'd just finished her shift at the hospital and wanted to visit Kakashi about the Valley of the End and get his perspective. She shuffled in closing the door behind her and found him giggling quietly at a particularly juicy passage in his book. Rolling her eyes; Sakura asked, "How are you feeling Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi was black and blue but the majority of his treatment was done. He had all his teeth back. Now he just _hurt_ like hell. "Sakura, I'm glad to see you. I heard from Jiraiya-sama about your mission to Suna; well done."

"Do you have a while to visit Kakashi-sensei?" asked Sakura. "There are some things I'd like to discuss with you."

Hearing the seriousness in her voice, Kakashi closed his book and said. "Well, I'm not going anywhere so I'd be happy to chat with one of my cute former students. What did you want to talk about?"

Without preamble, Sakura simply said, "The Valley of the End."

Kakashi pressed the button to raise his bed up to a more sitting position. "I take it Naruto told you the truth then?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes, when we were in Suna Naruto explained that he didn't think Sasuke would want to be rescued and that he only wants to bring Sasuke back for trial. He told me about the battle and how Sasuke tried to kill him. I did a medical exam on that scar from the chidori strike and I am 100% convinced that it was a fatal wound. If Naruto didn't have the Kyūbi sealed in him he would have died. He said it's the only scar on his entire body that never healed completely."

"So he told you about Kyūbi too huh?" asked Kakashi. Sakura nodded in the affirmative. "To tell you the truth Sakura; the Battle at the Valley of the End was over by the time I arrived. I found Naruto face down covered in his own blood and brought him back to Lady Tsunade as quickly as I could. The amount of destruction in that valley looked like two high level jonins had been going at it. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes I never would have believed that two genins could have caused so much damage."

"Did Naruto tell you about the way Sasuke transformed and how he planned to kill Naruto for power?" asked the rosette.

Kakashi replied, "No he didn't. He didn't share all the gruesome details with anyone except Lady Tsunade and I presume Jiraiya-sama. Naruto just said he was going to rescue Sasuke with his usual sunny disposition and told me not to worry. He'd been gone for a year before I read the actual written report of the battle and I was shocked beyond belief. I assume he never told us because he didn't want to hurt our feelings."

Sakura sighed. "When we were in Suna arguing about bringing Sasuke back he told me the truth about it all. He said he was in denial and that he never told me because he didn't want to hurt me. After Naruto revealed the whole truth I was so emotionally devastated I even threw up. I'm beginning to think that Sasuke is a monster now. What he did….sounds just like something Orochimaru would approve of."

"I noticed you weren't referring to Sasuke as _Sasuke-kun_ anymore. I can see why now." said Kakashi. "I'm sorry you had to find out about it this way. Naruto really wasn't hiding it to hurt you Sakura; I hope you don't hold it against him."

"I don't." said Sakura. "It's just I look back now and I realize how much Naruto cared for me and did for me when we were Team 7. I hardly acknowledged him and I feel terrible about it. I always gave Sasuke credit for everything but looking back I realized it was Naruto who saved me time and time again because I was such a weak genin. I never even treated Naruto as a friend…."

_They talked long into the afternoon_….

**Naruto and Illyana's apartment….**

Hinata quietly knocked on the door of Apartment 311. She waited nervously and then Illyana answered the door. The blonde girl smiled softly but looked tired. "Welcome Hinata-chan, please come in."

"Thank you for inviting me here to your home." said Hinata bowing.

"It's going to be your home too isn't it?" asked the sorceress.

Hinata answered, "The situation is unclear at the compound. I informed Otou-sama that I would be moving out and much to my surprise he insisted that I stay and that I was still a Lady of the Hyūga household. I doubt it will go over well with the elders though so I'm taking a wait and see approach."

Illyana nodded. "Well, know that you are always welcome here. Naruto-kun and I have been discussing things and there should be room for all three of us in the big bed."

Hinata blushed scarlet. "R-room for all three of us?" She felt faint.

"Now, now, none of that!" said Illyana. "If you're always blushing and fainting then you won't be able to get closer to Naruto-kun like you want. What's that scroll you have there Hinata-chan?" asked Illyana curiously.

Hinata perked up. "This is the new fighting style I intend to train myself in. It's all sealed in this scroll. The style is called Bagua Zhang. The Hyūga gentle fist was actually based on this." It was obvious that Hinata was excited to learn this. "Since no one knows the style it will probably take years to master though. I wish I had the time to dedicate to it that I need."

Illyana got a gleam in her eye. "I can give you all the time in the world."

"What do you mean by that Illyana-chan?" asked Hinata

Illyana smiled. "I'm a sorceress remember? Let's get Naruto-kun and we can all train together! Anko-sensei has given me more advanced forms of the snake style to learn and Naruto-kun _always_ loves to train. We'll all be able to get stronger and get to know one another while we do it. Maybe we can figure out the true nature of your new eyes as well."

**Location: Limbo**

"So it's decided. We're going to train down here for six months and no time will pass in our world." said Illyana. "We will return to Konoha for more training materials but the general idea is by roughing it here and living and working together we will grow closer."

Hinata reluctantly agreed to this crash course but hoped that it would not only give her the time to master her Bagua Zhang but by training with him she would be able to get closer to Naruto-kun.

_At the end of the first month in Limbo_….

Training Hinata to use her new eyes had almost been a disaster. When she channeled chakra into them it gave her the ability to actively _see_ weak points of anything –the shatter point of a rock for instance. Its effects on flesh and bone were far, far worse. By knowing exactly where every vital point was Hinata could forgo sealing chakra points and do brutal damage instead. Whatever point could be disabled or caused debilitating effects (usually excruciating pain) were seen by her new eyes. The problem was when her new eyes were active she essentially became a berserker that didn't stop fighting until she was knocked out. Those she cared for were relatively safe but anyone she bore the slightest hostility for were targets in her eyes. Naruto and Illyana lost count of how many times they had to restrain the normally gentle and kind girl.

_The second month_….

Illyana and Hinata both acquired more advanced forms of the snake style and the Bagua Zhang respectively and were hard at it. Illyana was practicing against Naruto's shadow clones and was truly getting the hang of standing on walls or even upside down instinctively. She had also refined her chakra control so water walking was easy for her. At Naruto and Hinata's insistence Illyana was learning kunai and shuriken throwing and was improving every day. On the more boring side; she was learning all the rules, regulations and bookwork from the Academy so she would understand ninja methods. Illyana found Naruto knew this stuff (barely) but really couldn't teach it well. On the other hand, Hinata was a very good teacher and helped her immensely. The two girls were growing closer.

_The third month_….

Naruto was working in collaboration with Hinata on their respective jutsus. While Hinata couldn't see chakra as she had with the byakugan; her eyes were far keener than the others and slowly but surely she was helping him master his wind element. Likewise, Naruto was helping Hinata with her water element and she had already mastered _water encampment wall_ and _water whips_ due to her great chakra control. In the process Hinata had also grown much closer to Naruto. Naruto even called her Hinata-chan now which meant a great deal to her.

Hinata was finally able to express her feelings without getting nervous and flustered. She had even started to cuddle with Naruto at night when all three of them were worn out from their training. It got to where all three of them slept together when Naruto and Illyana weren't busy with each other. On those nights Naruto would make a clone to cuddle with Hinata at night or sometimes would spend the night with her while Illyana was with a clone.

_The fourth month_….

Illyana and Hinata were really being put through the meat grinder by Naruto. He'd sworn he was going to bring their physical strength and stamina up and also boost their chakra reserves through weights and seals if it was the last thing he did. The two girls were looking rather mutinously at Naruto by the third week when he deactivated the resistance seals on them. They felt like their bodies were light as a feather after that and were truly amazed at how well Naruto's training methods worked. As a special reward both girls surprised Naruto that night with a particularly hot make out session with both of them. Though they weren't into each other at all Illyana and Hinata didn't mind having the other around because Naruto could always make a clone to shower attention on both of them.

_The fifth month_….

Hinata found she could create chakra scalpels after enough practice. Rather than injecting chakra in the way of the gentle fist; Hinata's chakra scalpels were used to cut vulnerable areas like some medics were known to do. She also found she could passively see mental weak points such as a person's intentions with her eyes. It wasn't true telepathy or anything on par with Yamanaka jutsus but it basically made her a walking lie detector and keeping secrets hidden away from her was nearly impossible. At long last she'd gained control over the rage that her eyes gave her when they were active. Naruto had spent a great deal of time teaching her meditation like he learned in order to become a sage and he told her how proud he was of her for her accomplishments. Hinata kissed him with such passion that his head was swimming after that.

_The sixth month_….

Naruto, Illyana and Hinata had become quite a team and dealing with the occasional demon uprising against Illyana's rule over Limbo was an ideal way to practice. The three had grown a great deal through their training and were very close to one another now. They were currently polishing their skills as best they could without a true sensei to teach them. Most importantly Hinata was now with Naruto as his girlfriend just like Illyana. Naruto had been less than thrilled that Illyana's Darkchilde personality wanted Hinata to be a servant but he realized that in reality Illyana and Hinata had become best friends in the last few months so it wasn't really an issue.

Naruto also found that having two beautiful kunoichis as his lovers was almost too much for one man to handle. He was _so_ thankful for shadow clones. The trio soon bid farewell to Limbo and considered their training to be very successful. None of them had ever felt stronger….

**Two weeks later at the Hyuuga Compound**

Hinata was meditating. The former heiress had made appropriate appearances every day and night at the Hyūga compound keeping up the pretence that she went out during the day and trained. She was now at the Hyūga training grounds alone practicing her Bagua Zhang style. She'd been supposedly _learning_ her new style in the last two weeks rather than having six months of mastery under her belt. Now that she was closer to Illyana-chan and Naruto-kun, Hinata found herself thinking more and more about just moving out and living with them instead of living among the Hyūga Clan. She found spending the nights with them was a thousand times more pleasurable than alone at home.

The Hyūga Clan itself was divided about Hinata's training. In the eyes of the branch family she was someone who was strong for doing her very best to overcome a terrible handicap and was still trying to be a formidable kunoichi. They admired her. Then there were the elders and traditionalists who believed she was a crippled failure who was only making matters _more_ disgraceful by bastardizing the incomparable Juken style. Today they would push Hinata to her limit whether by accident or design….

The head elder was none other than Hiashi's Father Hyūga Hiroto** and he was Hinata's very own Grandfather. He was very disappointed in Hiashi for supporting Hinata. If Hinata had appropriately committed ritual suicide after losing her byakugan it would have been an honorable death and she would have been buried in the main family's grave plot with honors. As it was Hiashi had some misplaced sense of guilt and now it fell onto Hiroto to set things straight and drive her out. They had Hanabi; Hinata was a waste of space in the compound. The calloused old man called out. "Stop wasting the clan's time and come over here Hinata!"

Hinata quietly came over and looked at the elders with malice in her softly glowing eyes. "Have you come to taunt me since Otou-sama is out on business elder? Or did you just come down to once again belittle your own _Granddaughter?_" asked Hinata with hostility in her voice. She knew what the elders thought of her and being around Illyana in particular was rubbing off on her. She also found that her new eyes still tended to increase her temper when active even though it was controlled. Hinata _really_ wanted to slap the arrogance right off of the old elder's faces.

One of the elders colored up. He was the tallest of the elders. "How dare you speak to us that way you cripple! You aren't even worthy of the Hyūga name without our eyes you freak!"

"I wasn't addressing you; you ancient fossil. I was addressing my so called Grandfather." Hinata's glowing eyes narrowed at him. "You were hoping to have a match with me and _accidentally_ kill me. It's written all over that leathery face of yours elder Hachiro."

'_How did she know?!_' thought the tall man in shock. The other elders turned to him with raised eyebrows. Hinata's Grandfather Hiroto intended to drive her out but certainly not _kill_ her. Then Hachiro scoffed but it was painfully obvious to the byakugan users that he was trying to deflect the whole conversation.

Hinata's Grandfather asked, "Is this true Hachiro?"

"O-of course not!" Now _everyone_ knew Hachiro had planned to kill Hinata. A crowd was gathering.

Hinata showed a mean smile. "Well, it seems you've been found out elder Hachiro." She paused for a moment. "It's rumored you were _once_ the strongest Juken fighter when you were in your _prime_. Of course that was a long, _long_ time ago. You'll be a good test for my Bagua Zhang. Just know that I'm more than prepared to kill you if it's a death match you want."

"**_Hinata?!_**" asked Hiroto in shock. '_What's wrong with this girl? Hachiro will kill her!_' Somewhere in his twisted sense of justice her Grandfather would have been fine seeing Hinata take her own life but he didn't want to see his young Granddaughter get _butchered_ by Hachiro. The man was known for his utter ruthlessness.

"What's wrong _Grandfather?_" snarled Hinata. "Each and every one of you elders wants me dead one way or another and I'm sick to death of it! Just know that I want this to be a sanctioned, officiated match. After I put Hachiro down like the piece of decaying refuse he is I want to be left alone to develop my own skills and arts in peace. What do you say Hachiro? Do you have the courage to face your _death?_"

Hachiro's composure was totally gone due to Hinata's blatant disrespect. "_I don't fear you at all little girl! You're no match for me!_" he yelled as he was held back by the other elders who were struggling due to his great strength.

Hinata turned her back to him and walked out to the center sparring ring for exhibitions where she stood and waited for Hachiro to come with her delicate foot tapping. Her Grandfather Hiroto came over to her and said, "I won't allow this Granddaughter! I will not sanction a death match."

"Why not? You've wanted me to commit ritual suicide anyway." said Hinata calmly. "If you want me dead I'll give you this one shot but it will be by _my_ rules."

Suddenly Hiashi's Father felt terrible guilt. He remembered holding Hinata when she was an adorable toddler. '_What have I done to you child? Between losing your eyes and my actions….has it broken you like this? Hiashi is right and I was terribly, terribly wrong! I must put a stop to this._' "Hinata-chan, I-"

"Don't you _Hinata-chan_ me!" she snapped. "You haven't called me that since before Hanabi was born you hate-filled, calloused old fool! Don't _pretend_ you give a damn! I'm going to send Hachiro to hell and if you and the other elders want some I'll kill the lot of you too!"

Hiroto thought Hinata had truly snapped. He believed her mind was completely broken. He closed his eyes in resignation. "Do you truly wish to fight Hachiro? You can walk away with no stain on your honor." he asked in a placating, grandfatherly tone.

Hinata said venomously, "I've already lost _all_ my honor in your twisted, hateful eyes. Send Hachiro to me. I will show you the power of my version of the Bagua Zhang. Then I will have the peace I desire, one way or another." Her glowing eyes were like ice and it chilled her Grandfather's very soul.

'_I am so sorry my Granddaughter. I will surely go to hell for what I've wrought upon you_.' Hiroto decided then and there that he was going to explain all this to his son Hiashi when he got back about how he'd driven his grandchild to madness and then her death. Then he would commit ritual suicide to atone for what he'd done. He then started what he knew was going to be a terribly one sided fight. "Hyūga Hachiro, come forth."

The branch family crowded there nearly burst into revolt and the head elder called out, "_I **do not** want this but my Granddaughter **demands **this!_ If by some miracle she is to survive this death match then I swear that we as a family starting with we elders will make all this up to her somehow. I will personally referee this match." He turned to Hachiro and whispered, "We are both going to burn in hell for this Hachiro. I pray that you make this quick and painless for her."

Hachiro was surprised at Hiroto's request but nodded. As long as the girl was dead; _who really cared?_ He had no desire to toy with her; he just wanted the stain named Hinata to be wiped from the pride of the prestigious Hyūga family name.

"Assume your stances. This is a fight to the death." said the head elder as the roar of the branch family grew louder. Hanabi was being held back as her cries for her older sister were drowned out by the crowd.

Both fighters got in position. Hachiro activated his byakugan and assumed the rigid Juken opening stance to perfection. Hinata assumed her Bagua Zhang stance which was similar but sinewy and more flexible….she activated long, slender chakra scalpels from her fingers -they almost looked like claws. Then she channeled chakra into her own eyes….Her new violet eyes seemed to fade to black and then reticle patterns appeared in her eyes blazing in bright violet.*** Hachiro gasped as he felt her staring into the core of his very soul. "….What_ are _those?" he asked fearfully as the feeling grew more and more that his every dark secret was being laid bare for all to see.

Hinata said darkly, "I said I no longer possessed the _byakugan_; I never said I didn't posses a _doujutsu_. This is the perfect opportunity for me to test it." Everyone gasped at her declaration. "Let us begin."

'_A **new** doujutsu? We must protect Hinata-sama at all costs!_' was the collective thought of most present but Hachiro and Hinata had already exploded into action. Hiroto desperately tried to intervene and save his Granddaughter but wasn't fast enough. He watched in both fascination and horror as Hinata flowed around Hachiro's initial strike and her chakra scalpels cut deep into Hachiro's right shoulder and snapped his collar bone where an old war wound was causing him to bellow in agony as he recoiled. As he tried to jump back she caught his opposite thigh where he'd received a kunai wound in the second war that gave him a slight limp. The pain was so bad he started to collapse. As Hachiro fell back and held up his hands instinctively to block but found the tendons in his wrists sliced clean through.

'_How could she **possibly** know of all his old war injuries?! She hitting every vulnerable point on his body!_' thought a female elder. Hinata was demolishing Hachiro before her very eyes with the precision of a surgeon!

Hachiro cried out "Mercy Hinata-sama! Please forgive me!" and screamed as her chakra scalpels sliced open his femoral artery. She had already stabbed several nerve clusters that had Hachiro in torturous, debilitating pain.

"_Stop Hinata!_" yelled her Grandfather. But before he finished his sentence Hinata's chakra scalpels had already cut deep into Hachiro's aorta which silenced his pleads for mercy forever. If Hachiro's wounds from before weren't fatal before they certainly were now. Hiroto watched in shock as the light left elder Hachiro's agonized, disbelieving eyes.

Hinata stood up and stared at her Grandfather with her new eyes still active. He shivered. "Are you going to call the match _Grandfather_ or do the rest of you elders want to have a go as well?" she hissed angrily.

"Winner, Hyūga Hinata!" called out her Grandfather. The branch family was cheering and the main house was both fearful and in awe. Hanabi was crying in relief and holding on to Neji who was staring in disbelief. Hanabi wanted to run to Hinata but was still held back by her guards for her own safety.

A female elder named Harumi came forward. "Lady Hinata, forgive our foolish, _foolish_ actions! This is a joyous day indeed! Had we known the Hyūga name was blessed with a _second_ doujutsu we would never have-"

"Leave me alone old woman. I want nothing to do with you." said Hinata coldly.

"But the power of your new eyes, what is it?" asked the woman.

Hinata stared the elder down with her new eyes making the old woman shiver and then she said, "Wouldn't you like to know?" before she vanished in a body flicker. The young kunoichi appeared outside the Hyūga Compound with her new eyes deactivated and decided to head over to see Naruto-kun and Illyana-chan. She was in no mood to sleep alone tonight….

**The Hyūga Compound**

The next morning Kiba, Akamaru and Shino arrived at the gates of the Hyūga Compound only to find the normally serene and orderly home of the Hyūga clan was in some sort of chaos. Kiba came up to the guards and said. "We're here to pick up Hinata for her first team practice since the last mission. Can you send for her please?"

The guard looked around nervously and said, "There was a clan incident yesterday and Lady Hinata departed afterwards. We are currently looking for her."

"What do you mean by _incident_, Hyūga-san?" asked Shino. This didn't sound good to Kiba or Shino at all.

"I'm sorry but I'm not permitted to say." said the guard.

Kiba was starting to get irritated but Shino asked, "So you have truly no idea about her current whereabouts?" The guard shook his head 'no.'

Kiba was worried and was about to lose his temper with the guard about how irresponsible the Hyūga clan was to lose track of Hinata but Elder Harumi came up to the gates. "Are you two young gentleman Lady Hinata's teammates?"

"Yes we are." answered Shino. "I am Aburame Shino and this is Inuzuka Kiba and Akamaru. We are her friends and teammates and find it most disturbing that she is currently missing."

Harumi said, "I am Elder Hyūga Harumi. Please come in and sit with me for a little while. Perhaps you can help us locate her. The Hyūga clan would consider this a great favor." Nodding the two young men followed her into the compound. They were soon seated in a luxurious sitting room that was reserved for important guests of the clan head. Harumi said, "I will fetch Lady Hinata's Grandfather and we can discuss the situation. Would you care for tea or snacks? I can send a branch member to get whatever you like."

"We are fine thank you. We just want to find our teammate." said Shino.

Harumi nodded. "Very well. I will return in a few moments with the head elder. Feel free to let a branch member know if you require anything." With that she departed.

"I'm glad you're here Shino." said Kiba. "All the decorum here just isn't my style. If you visit the Inuzuka compound we just say; _If you've got the munchies feel free to raid the fridge_. We don't send other people to get our grub. By the way, did you notice they are calling her _Lady_ Hinata again? What do you suppose is up?"

"Logically Hinata must have done something that warrants a change in her status in the clan." said Shino. "I am unaware of what could have brought this about. From what Hinata has told us the Hyūga elder's were not on the best of terms with her. It makes me wonder why they are personally concerned at all. For all that matter I wonder where Lord Hiashi is. This entire situation is very unusual."

About that time Elder Harumi and Head Elder Hiroto entered. Shino and Kiba stood up and bowed to them. Harumi then introduced Hiroto to Kiba and Shino. After everyone was seated again, Hiroto said, "Thank you for waiting. I am hoping that you two might have some insights to Lady Hinata's whereabouts as you are her teammates. Would you have any idea where she might go if she was in a state of distress?"

Shino asked, "Forgive me Hyūga-sama but I couldn't help but notice you refer to her as _Lady _Hinata. If I'm not mistaken she has been in the disfavor of the Hyūga clan since she no longer possesses the fabled byakugan."

Hiroto cringed. "Through a foolish oversight on the part of the clan we believed that her loss of her eyes made her less than the rest of us. We are correcting that attitude towards her. There has even been talk of restoring her as the heiress of our illustrious clan. However, she left on her own accord yesterday in the early evening as she was rather agitated but rather than returning home late she stayed out all night and we are very concerned for her welfare. I realize that she is a kunoichi and quite capable of defending herself but as her Grandfather I cannot help but be worried for my dear Granddaughter's safety."

Kiba thought angrily, '_Dear Granddaughter?! This is the old bastard that tried to have her removed from the position of heiress years ago. She said he basically refused to acknowledge her as his Grandchild. What the fuck?_'

Though Shino was thinking along the same lines as Kiba he said, "Forgive us Hyūga-sama but it was our impression that the Hyūga Elders have wanted to be rid of Hinata for years. I find your course of action puzzling and illogical.

Hiroto wanted to groan but maintained his composure. '_Typical Aburame, always seeing right through things._' "You are correct; the Hyūga Elders have treated Lady Hinata poorly in the past but I give you my word as a Hyūga that it will all change. Will you help us locate her? We want Lady Hinata to come home so we can apologize to her properly and start making up for the many years of grievances against her."

Kiba was steamed. They treated Hinata so badly in the past and now they want to 'make it up to her?' "How do we know this isn't some trap to hurt Hinata or worse? If she left as you said then she may well be fleeing for her safety."

Elder Hiroto was wide eyed at this accusation but Harumi remained calm. She said, "I assure you we only wish to reconcile with Lady Hinata. In no way would we wish to harm her. If you don't trust us then would you take a scroll from us to her?"

Shino said, "Very well. You can prepare a scroll and we will deliver it to her provided we can find her. How longer will it take?"

Harumi sighed. She realized that the Elders _really_ screwed up. If her two teammates were so distrustful of their intentions that they feared for Lady Hinata's safety then it was far worse than she ever imagined. She hoped Hiroto didn't lose his temper with these two boys. They were speaking out of turn but at the same time they were doing it because they cared for Hinata's safety.

Hiroto said sternly, "A Hyūga's word is as good as gold and you _still_ don't trust us? If the situation wasn't so dire I would _never_ accept this insult! Unfortunately you Aburames base everything on logic so arguing the point with you would be a waste of time. I will prepare a scroll. Please sit a few minutes and wait until I complete it." Receiving an emotionless nod from Shino, Elder Hiroto left.

Harumi said, "You would do well not to insult other clans in their own homes. Lady Hinata is _very_ important to us and we only care about her safety."

"Is there a reason that Lord Hiashi is not involved in this?" asked Shino.

Harumi cringed; Hiashi was going to be furious at the Elders for what they had done! "Lord Hiashi is out on business so it is up to us Elders to resolve the issue. I assure you that if he was here he would be involved."

Shino and Kiba sat silently contemplating how they should handle this. The wait in silence for Elder Hiroto to return seemed to last for hours. He soon returned with a scroll sealed with the Hyūga family crest. "I'm trusting you two young men to deliver this to my Granddaughter safely." He handed the scroll to Shino and a branch member showed them out of the Hyūga compound.

As the two boys walked they made sure they were out of the range of the compound before they started talking. "We need to inform Kurenai-sensei or maybe even the Hokage. This is bad Shino." said Kiba in a worried tone.

"Let's see if we can locate Hinata first Kiba." said Shino. "Until we have the full scope of the situation we can't go to the Hokage without causing a major uproar. We have our suspicions but no proof at this point."

"Alright." said Kiba despondently. Akamaru barked. "You found a trail? Good job buddy! Lead the way." Kiba said enthusiastically.

About forty five minutes later they were standing on the sidewalk in front of the light blue apartment building that mainly catered to ninjas on Harashima Lane….

**Naruto and Illyana's Apartment**

Hinata woke up on Naruto's right side using his chest as a pillow. She cracked her eyes open and saw Illyana sleeping on his opposite side with her head snuggled into the crook of his neck. Hinata felt very warm and comfortable with all the body heat coming off the three of them all curled up together. Last night had been wonderful. Naruto took all her worries and stress away when he made love to her for _hours_ last night. Illyana got home later and showered with a shadow clone before she joined them in bed. They all cuddled up and agreed to talk about Hinata's living situation in detail in the morning.

Hinata heard knocking on the apartment door and didn't want to answer it. After about five minutes Illyana stirred and her blue eyes opened hearing the door. "Mmm….make them go away. I want to sleep…." she muttered. "Can you tell them to leave Hinata-chan?"

"I don't want to get up." said Hinata. "I'm too comfortable sleeping on Naruto-kun. Why don't you get it Illyana-chan?" she asked sleepily.

The girls stared at each other for a while and realizing neither one of them wanted to move they played rock-paper-scissors on the still sleeping Naruto's chest. Hinata groaned when she lost. Illyana said, "Scissors beats paper Hinata-chan."

"I know." grumbled Hinata. "I'll go get it." Slipping on some panties and throwing on her orange and black sleeping yukata, the young Hyūga kunoichi made her way to the apartment door and opened it irritably with a "Who is it?!"

She gasped when she saw Shino, Kiba and Akamaru standing in the hall. Shino's eyebrows were raised as high as physically possible and Kiba had a look of total shock on his face at her appearance. Even though both of them saw Hinata as their little sister figure; her disheveled hair and tight fitting yukata that did nothing to hide all her feminine curves was completely mind blowing.

Hinata blushed. "Oh! Ummm….Shino-kun, Kiba-kun, Akamaru! What brings you by?"

"Maybe we should talk inside." said Shino with a mild blush. For his part Kiba was blushing red and trying not to notice the generous amount of cleavage and long legs peeking out from below the short yukata.

Hinata let the three in and patted Akamaru's head much to the big dog's liking. After she closed the door behind her and adjusted her yukata so there wasn't as much of her breasts exposed she asked, "So how are you guys this morning?" in a nervous tone.

About that time Illyana came out of the bedroom in a matching yukata with her hair equally all over the place. "What's taking so long Hinata-chan? Even Naruto-kun woke up. Come back to bed with us."

Hinata wanted to faint and seeing the two girls in matching short yukatas was too much for Kiba who was blown back by a massive nose bleed.

"_Oh boy_…." muttered Illyana. "_This can't be good_."

POSTSCRIPT:

**Hinata's Grandfather isn't named in the manga and is simply referred to as "Hyūga Elder." I decided on the name Hiroto fit him because it means "great" and "command" or "esteem."

***There's a new manhua out called Xie Yan Chuan Shou. It's an interesting premise. The lead character is a girl named Mo Yu and her left eye turns shadowed with an appearance of a glowing violet set of crosshairs (like in a gun sight). The eye can perceive weaknesses both physical and mental and can see through truth and lies. I'm basing Hinata's new eyes upon this idea although Hinata won't be able to actually cause physical harm with her eyes. I'm thinking about calling it the **Dokushingan** (Mind-piercing eye) unless someone comes up with a better idea or suggestion.

Well, it seems that Hinata's new eyes give her quite a temper. This will mellow a bit with time. Right now she's still learning to control it. Hinata's relationship with Illyana and Naruto has been let out of the bag. What will Shino's logical reaction to this situation be? Will Kiba die of blood loss? Most importantly; how is Kurenai going to react? See you next chapter. Blue out. 1/22/15


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